Sometimes, more goes into being a franchise player than putting up impressive statistics on the court.
So even though LaMarcus Aldridge was a catalyst in the Trail Blazers' season-opening victory against the Lakers on Wednesday, hitting his first five shots and finishing with 19 points, he made perhaps an even bigger impact earlier in the week, when he put up a different set of impressive numbers.
Aldridge, the 27-year-old who has become the franchise centerpiece in his seventh season in Portland, bought and personally delivered 100 turkey dinners to Northeast Portland families in need.
"They needed to see that someone cares about them," Aldridge said.
Aldridge is an intensely personal and guarded man. He is more wary than willing while interacting. But behind those barriers lies a huge heart, and a couple of weeks ago, the words of a young Portland woman seeped past his hardened veneer and latched on to that heart, inspiring him to spend the $5,000 to buy the food.