Cole David Aldrich (born October 31, 1988) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He previously played for the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, and

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. He played three seasons of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

before being drafted by the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

(now Pelicans) with the 11th overall pick in the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...

Early life

Cole David Aldrich was born on October 31, 1988, in

Burnsville, Minnesota Burnsville () is a city south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city lies on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nearby subur ...

. He attended

Bloomington Jefferson High School Thomas Jefferson High School is one of the two high schools in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States Independent School District No. 271. It is located at 102nd Street and France Avenue on the suburb's southwest side. About 1,600 students atte ...

Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on the north bank of the Minnesota River, above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 89,987, ma ...

. As a senior, he was named state player of the year by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and

Minneapolis Star-Tribune Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Considered a four-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Aldrich was listed as the No. 6 center and the No. 30 player in the nation in 2007.

College career

Freshman season

During the 2007–08 season at

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, Aldrich's freshman season, his playing time was limited due to playing behind future NBA draft picks

Darrell Arthur Darrell Antwonne Arthur (born March 25, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks for two seasons where he was part of the 2007–08 national championship team. He was draf ...

Sasha Kaun Sacha, Sasha, Sascha, or ''variant'' may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alexander Coe * Sasha (German singer) (born 1972), born Sas ...

, and

Darnell Jackson Darnell Edred Jackson (born November 7, 1985) is an American professional basketball player, who lastly played for BM Slam Ostrów Wielkopolski of the PLK. He played college basketball for the University of Kansas for four seasons, including th ...

. He averaged three rebounds and 2.8 points a game in 8.3 minutes a game during the regular season. Statistically, Aldrich's best performance was an 11-point, 11-rebound outing in a win over

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

on March 3, 2008. Probably the most crucial game for Aldrich was during the Final Four game between Kansas and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

on April 5, 2008, when he played only 16 minutes but managed to grab 8 rebounds and score 7 points along with blocking 4 shots while also playing effective defense against National Player of the Year

Tyler Hansbrough Andrew Tyler Hansbrough (born November 3, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons, as well ...

, helping lead Kansas into the NCAA national championship game. They then defeated the

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the Sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level as a member of ...

to win their first Championship since 1988.

Sophomore season

With the departure of the other Jayhawk big men to the NBA draft, Aldrich became the premier big man going into his sophomore season. Through the first 29 games, he averaged a double-double with 15.1 points and 10.8 rebounds in 29.7 minutes of play. He grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in an 87–78 win over

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

on February 23, 2009,. On March 8, 2009, Aldrich was named to the 2008–09 Big 12 All-conference first team. On March 22, 2009, Aldrich recorded the first official

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

in the history of Kansas basketball against Dayton in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Aldrich accumulated 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a 60–43 victory, which was the second triple-double in NCAA history to include blocks, former

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

center

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

recorded the other. On Monday, April 13, Aldrich announced that he would return to KU for his junior season.

Junior season

He won the 2009–10 men's college basketball

Academic All-American The Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program. The program selects an honorary sports team composed of the most outstanding student-athletes of a specific season for positions in various sports—who in turn are giv ...

of the Year as selected by

CoSIDA College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) is an organization that focuses on professional development and support for sports information directors at all levels. It offers awards, scholarships, and grants in support of SIDs and pros ...

and presented by ''

ESPN the Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year i ...

''. He ended his college career a perfect 55–0 at

Allen Fieldhouse Allen Fieldhouse is an indoor arena on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, Kansas. It is home of the Kansas Jayhawks men's and women's basketball teams. The arena is named after Phog Allen, a former player and head coach for the Jayhaw ...

Professional career

Oklahoma City Thunder (2010–2012)

On March 29, 2010, Aldrich announced that he would forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the

. He was the 11th pick, selected by the

, who traded his rights on draft day to the

. On August 6, 2010, Aldrich signed a two-year contract with the Thunder with a two-year option. On November 24, 2010, the Thunder assigned Aldrich to the

Tulsa 66ers Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. He was recalled on December 6, 2010, but sent back to Tulsa on December 30, 2010. He was again recalled on February 2, 2011, and assigned for a third time on March 30, 2011. Aldrich reached the

2012 NBA Finals The 2012 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2011–12 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion O ...

with the Thunder, but the team lost to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

Houston Rockets (2012–2013)

In October 2012, Aldrich,

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Harden is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA ...

Daequan Cook Daequan Cook (born April 28, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Ironi Nes Ziona of the Israeli Premier League. He was taken 21st overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers then subsequently ...

, and

Lazar Hayward Lazar Miller Hayward (born November 26, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a college standout for Marquette University. High school career Hayward went to Buffalo Traditional High School where he was an outstandin ...

were traded to the

for Kevin Martin,

Jeremy Lamb Jeremy Emmanuel Lamb (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a freshman, he was the second-leading scorer on the 2011 national cha ...

, and draft picks.

Sacramento Kings (2013)

On February 20, 2013, Aldrich was traded to the

along with

Toney Douglas Toney Bernard Douglas (born March 16, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Benfica of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. He played college basketball for Auburn for one year, eventually becoming frustrated with his role on t ...

and Patrick Patterson in exchange for Francisco García,

Thomas Robinson Thomas, Tom or Tommy Robinson may refer to: Artists * Thomas Robinson (composer) (c. 1560 – after 1609), English composer and music teacher * Thomas Heath Robinson (1869–1954), British book illustrator Politicians * Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron ...

and

Tyler Honeycutt Tyler Deon Honeycutt (July 15, 1990 – July 7, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he earned first-team all-conference honors in the Pac-10 (known now as the Pac-12) as ...

New York Knicks (2013–2015)

On September 24, 2013, Aldrich signed with the

. On January 29, 2014, he was assigned to the Erie BayHawks. He was recalled the next day. He went on to record his first double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in his first NBA start on March 12, 2014. On July 11, 2014, Aldrich re-signed with the Knicks. On April 11, 2015, he scored a career-high 19 points in an 80–79 win over the Orlando Magic.

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

On July 13, 2015, Aldrich signed with the

. On January 13, 2016, with starting center

DeAndre Jordan Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies. Jordan was sel ...

out, Aldrich had a then season-best game with 19 points and 7 rebounds in a 104–90 win over the

. On April 8, 2016, he recorded 21 points and 18 rebounds (both season highs) and a career-high five steals in a 102–99 overtime win over the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2018)

On July 13, 2016, Aldrich signed a three-year, $22 million deal with the

. On June 30, 2018, Aldrich was waived by the Timberwolves. On September 18, 2018, Aldrich signed with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

but was waived by the Hawks on October 2, 2018, as their first training camp cut.

Tianjin Golden Lions (2018)

On October 10, 2018, Aldrich signed with the

Tianjin Golden Lions The Tianjin Ronggang Pioneers () or Tianjin Ronggang or Tianjin Pioneers are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Tianjin, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The Ronggang Import & Export Tr ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, 18, , 0, , 7.9, , .533, , –, , .500, , 1.9, , .2, , .3, , .4, , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 26, , 0, , 6.7, , .524, , –, , .929, , 1.8, , .1, , .3, , .6, , 2.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 30, , 0, , 7.1, , .535, , –, , .444, , 1.9, , .2, , .1, , .3, , 1.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 15, , 0, , 11.7, , .568, , –, , .727, , 4.2, , .2, , .1, , .9, , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 46, , 2, , 7.2, , .541, , –, , .867, , 2.8, , .3, , .2, , .7, , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 61, , 16, , 16.0, , .478, , –, , .781, , 5.5, , 1.2, , .6, , 1.1, , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, 60, , 5, , 13.3, , .596, , –, , .714, , 4.8, , .8, , .8, , 1.1, , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 62, , 0, , 8.6, , .523, , –, , .682, , 2.5, , .4, , .4, , .4, , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .333 , , – , , .333 , , .7 , , .1 , , .1 , , .0 , , 0.6 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 339, , 23, , 10.0, , .527, , –, , .738, , 3.3, , .5, , .4, , .7, , 3.1

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, align="left" ,

, 5, , 0, , 4.9, , .444, , –, , .500, , 2.6, , .0, , .0, , .0, , 2.0 , - , align="left" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, align="left" ,

, 6, , 0, , 12.8, , .667, , –, , .500, , 5.0, , .5, , 1.0, , .5, , 3.8 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 11, , 0, , 9.2, , .583, , –, , .500, , 3.9, , .3, , .5, , .3, , 3.0

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, Cole 1988 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American men's basketball players Basketball players from Minnesota Centers (basketball) Houston Rockets players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Minnesota Timberwolves players New Orleans Hornets draft picks New York Knicks players Oklahoma City Thunder players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Burnsville, Minnesota Sacramento Kings players Sportspeople from Bloomington, Minnesota Sportspeople from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area Tianjin Pioneers players Tulsa 66ers players

Early life

College career

Freshman season

Sophomore season

Junior season

Professional career

Oklahoma City Thunder (2010–2012)

Houston Rockets (2012–2013)

Sacramento Kings (2013)

New York Knicks (2013–2015)

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2018)

Tianjin Golden Lions (2018)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links