LaMarcus Aldridge's move to San Antonio got an unlikely assist

Sam Amick | USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS – Should the San Antonio Spurs return to the NBA’s mountaintop this season, maximizing the talents of new big man LaMarcus Aldridge and perhaps winning a sixth title since 1999, they may need to come up with an in-house award to honor the man who made it all possible.

It’s not Gregg Popovich, or Tim Duncan, or any of the usual suspects from their storied group. It’s Ime Udoka, a 38-year-old Spurs assistant and former Spurs player who was the unsung hero in their pursuit of the former Portland Trail Blazers big man.

On the surface, this was the case of a four-time All-Star who has never been past the second round of the playoffs making the wise decision to join the organization that has a habit of hogging the Larry O’Brien trophy. But in those crucial early July days that led up to his decision, when his list of eight teams had been whittled down to two and questions lingered in his mind about how he would fit in San Antonio, no voice mattered more than that of Udoka’s.

There was mutual respect, their relationship having began as teammates in 2006 when Aldridge was a rookie in Portland and Udoka was the wise, older veteran. They had kept in touch long after Udoka was gone, too, through his time in San Antonio, Sacramento, and Spain and later when he left his playing days behind in order to join Popovich’s staff in the summer of 2012. The trust that would prove pivotal to Aldridge’s decision was built over time.

When Aldridge’s free agency meetings in Los Angeles had all ended and the time had arrived to clear his head on a flight back to his hometown of Dallas, Udoka – who was part of the Spurs’ Popovich-led contingent on the Hollywood scene – played the part of closer and made a final pitch at 30,000 feet. To hear Aldridge tell the story, he may be in Phoenix right about now if not for Udoka’s ability to paint a promising picture about life with the Spurs. Udoka, who was weighing offers to play for Murcia, Gran Canaria and two other European teams during that lockout summer when Popovich gave him the coaching invite he couldn’t refuse, knew what it meant to be a part of their special group.

Last month at Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas, Aldridge's partnership with Udoka continued to prove effective. With Udoka leading the way and Spurs small forward/fellow Team USA participant also on hand, Aldridge – both after Team USA practices and before their exhibition game – took part in three Spurs-only sessions intended to help him learn the very San Antonio system that he wasn’t sure was for him. Udoka, true to the Spurs’ selfless form, declined a request to discuss his part in landing Aldridge.

USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick caught up with Aldridge recently about how Udoka helped him decide to sign with the Spurs.

Q: So I’ve heard that Ime was big in the free agency process for you, but was looking forward to asking you about it. That the case?

A: “He was huge. As you said, I played with him, and when he played with us, him and I were really close. And even when he left to go to the Spurs, when we played against them we still hung out and he would get me into the practice facility so I could get in the cold tub. He has always been really cool with me, and I thought he played a vital part in this. If I had questions, I would call him. And when things weren’t looking as good (during the Spurs’ pursuit), him and I would talk for an hour or two, just going over everything. He would maybe reaffirm some things that I didn’t understand, or I didn’t think were accurate. I told (Spurs general manager) R.C. Buford, I said, ‘Ime got the deal done.’ Pop (indicating that he’d remain the coach in the coming years) was very important to me, but Ime put in a lot of work on that.”

Q: Did I hear it right that he flew back to Dallas with you after your LA meetings were over?

A: “It (the meeting process) was done. I was down to two teams, Phoenix and the Spurs. I thought (Udoka) was staying in San Antonio for the summer, so I was like, ‘Hey, I’ve got a jet going to Dallas. You could get a flight from Dallas to San Antonio (to head home).’ So he was like, ‘Cool.’ So he gets on the jet, and I’m like, ‘We’re leaving. You should buy your flight (to San Antonio from Dallas) on the plane. Go buy your flight.’ He was like, ‘I ain’t buying no flight.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘I live here (in Los Angeles) right now. I’m flying just to answer any questions that you have.’ I was like, ‘Man, you’re crazy.’ I said, ‘Get off the plane.’ He said, ‘No, I’m going to answer any question that you have.’ So I’m like, ‘You don’t have to do this. Don’t do this.’ He’s like, ‘Nah, I’m not getting off.’

“So we rode – and I had my kids with me and my mom – so they sat in the front of the plane and him and I went to the back of the plane and talked the whole flight. It was just conversation, about the system, about me. It wasn’t really a lot of questions. It was just him telling me how I’m going to fit in. Everybody was making this big fuss about how I’m not going to be able to take shots anymore, or be the scorer that I am, and he was just telling me, ‘We need a guy to score down there. Tim (Duncan) is older, and we need a guy to command a double team down there.’ So I was like, ‘Maybe I’m not a Spur, because I’ve been averaging 23 (points per game) for the last three to four years, and maybe I don’t fit into y’all’s system of let’s all average 17 (points per game).’ And he was like, ‘No, we’re not trying to change who you are and make you average 16 or 17. We want you to be you, because you’re going to help us be better and vice versa.’ He kind of reaffirmed that they didn’t want to change me, and that who I am is ok.”

Q: You had two very different situations in Phoenix and San Antonio. Was there any part of you that was worried about Tim’s shadow? Going with the Suns obviously would have been different, with you as the main attraction.

A: “No, because I’m not trying to be Tim Duncan. I’m not trying to fill his shoes. No one is going to fill his shoes. First of all, he started there and he ended there. I’m not doing that. I didn’t start there. There’s no pressure, because I didn’t start there and I’m not trying to be him. My game is totally different than his.

I never had any issues with it. I think the media blew it up more, like I’m trying to fill his spot and take his role. I was like, ‘No, I’m trying to be me.’ I feel like me being there with Pop in the system with the guys, I should be ok. That was what I was weighing: Go to Phoenix, be the face and the guy, or go to San Antonio and probably win sooner and be more blended in. That was my issue. And I was like, ‘If y’all want me to come here and average 12 or 13 points, that’s not who I am. I like scoring.’ They were like, ‘No, we want you to play in the system, but you scoring is needed here.’ Once I heard that, I was fine.”