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"The Chief Has Arrived": Aminu Brings Experience to Young Trail Blazers
by Casey Holdahl
Follow @Chold
Posted: Sep 24, 2015
Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu is only 25 years old, but even so, he’s one of the most experienced players on Portland’s new-look roster. With 377 career appearances, the 6-9 forward out of Wake Forest has played in more games than anyone on Portland’s roster outside of Chris Kaman and Gerald Henderson. Given that, it makes sense that Aminu would spend a little time this offseason reflecting on his career, as people in many professions tend to do when they go from one organization to another.
“I was talking to one of my friends, Ishmael Smith, this summer,” Aminu recalled. “He was like ‘Man, we’ve been in the league five years!’ and it was just like, you don’t understand, that’s an accomplishment unto itself sometimes. You might think to yourself ‘Man, my career. First day I was supposed to get 30, I was supposed to be a Hall of Famer,’ you know what I mean? That’s how I envisioned my career going.”
While Aminu still has plenty of time to fulfill those lofty goals, his perspective has changed significantly since entering the NBA as a 19-year-old. Back then, he thought the solution to any problem on the court was to simply to work harder. And while his work ethic is still without question, he’s come to realize that not every situation is under his control.
“I was always kind of Top 10 in the country, high recruit, so everything had been so smooth,” said Aminu. “I remember my brother in college, stuff would kind of go (up and down) for him. And I was like ‘You’ve just got to work harder. I don’t know what’s wrong with you!’ It’s not always just work harder, in a sense. You always want to work hard, but sometimes you might be in a bad situation for yourself. Nothing wrong with the situation, it’s just for yourself, it might not highlight what you do the best.”
Hopefully that won’t be an issue in Portland. The Trail Blazers signed Aminu to a four-year contract in July with the expectation he’ll be a part of a young core, which includes Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard and CJ McCollum, that can grow together over the next few seasons. Head coach Terry Stotts has already indicated Aminu will start and has plans on giving the small forward more freedom to
as a playmaker.
Aminu and his wife will also welcome their first child, a daughter, into the world before the start of the season, giving this year the potential to be the most transformative in his life, let alone his career. He also qualified for the second-consecutive time for the Summer Olympics, scheduled to be held in Rio De Janero in 2016, as a member of the Nigerian National Team.
All-in-all, things are moving in the right direction for Aminu. He’s got a new family, a new team and a chance to put some of the some of the disappointments he’s experienced during his career behind him.
“I’m appreciative of all the stuff that happened because I learned from it,” said Aminu. “You can learn from everything. I have a great quote from Maya Angelou: ‘You can’t control all the things that happen in your life but you can choose not to be reduced by them.’ I like that quote. I always thought first day, I’m going to be a Hall of Famer or something, that’s going to be my career. But I guess it’s never too late to keep on going for it. I still have that same dream. I keep working like that’s the case and hopefully I’ll have some Hall of Fame seasons.”
by Casey Holdahl
Follow @Chold
Posted: Sep 24, 2015
Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu is only 25 years old, but even so, he’s one of the most experienced players on Portland’s new-look roster. With 377 career appearances, the 6-9 forward out of Wake Forest has played in more games than anyone on Portland’s roster outside of Chris Kaman and Gerald Henderson. Given that, it makes sense that Aminu would spend a little time this offseason reflecting on his career, as people in many professions tend to do when they go from one organization to another.
“I was talking to one of my friends, Ishmael Smith, this summer,” Aminu recalled. “He was like ‘Man, we’ve been in the league five years!’ and it was just like, you don’t understand, that’s an accomplishment unto itself sometimes. You might think to yourself ‘Man, my career. First day I was supposed to get 30, I was supposed to be a Hall of Famer,’ you know what I mean? That’s how I envisioned my career going.”
While Aminu still has plenty of time to fulfill those lofty goals, his perspective has changed significantly since entering the NBA as a 19-year-old. Back then, he thought the solution to any problem on the court was to simply to work harder. And while his work ethic is still without question, he’s come to realize that not every situation is under his control.
“I was always kind of Top 10 in the country, high recruit, so everything had been so smooth,” said Aminu. “I remember my brother in college, stuff would kind of go (up and down) for him. And I was like ‘You’ve just got to work harder. I don’t know what’s wrong with you!’ It’s not always just work harder, in a sense. You always want to work hard, but sometimes you might be in a bad situation for yourself. Nothing wrong with the situation, it’s just for yourself, it might not highlight what you do the best.”
Hopefully that won’t be an issue in Portland. The Trail Blazers signed Aminu to a four-year contract in July with the expectation he’ll be a part of a young core, which includes Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard and CJ McCollum, that can grow together over the next few seasons. Head coach Terry Stotts has already indicated Aminu will start and has plans on giving the small forward more freedom to
as a playmaker.
Aminu and his wife will also welcome their first child, a daughter, into the world before the start of the season, giving this year the potential to be the most transformative in his life, let alone his career. He also qualified for the second-consecutive time for the Summer Olympics, scheduled to be held in Rio De Janero in 2016, as a member of the Nigerian National Team.
All-in-all, things are moving in the right direction for Aminu. He’s got a new family, a new team and a chance to put some of the some of the disappointments he’s experienced during his career behind him.
“I’m appreciative of all the stuff that happened because I learned from it,” said Aminu. “You can learn from everything. I have a great quote from Maya Angelou: ‘You can’t control all the things that happen in your life but you can choose not to be reduced by them.’ I like that quote. I always thought first day, I’m going to be a Hall of Famer or something, that’s going to be my career. But I guess it’s never too late to keep on going for it. I still have that same dream. I keep working like that’s the case and hopefully I’ll have some Hall of Fame seasons.”
