It’s something between a running joke and ornerous pet peeve among members of the local media that LaMarcus Aldridge is, like clockwork, the last player out of the showers on any given night. As his teammates clear out and their lockers shut one by one, like the lights of a slumberous apartment building, the 6’11” big man will remain somewhere out back, patiently cleaning up and receiving whatever recovery treatment he needs after a long night spent fighting for every rebound and inch of real estate on the left block.
It was well past midnight after the team’s 154-147 double overtime win over the Thunder when Aldridge was once again the last player to emerge, bedecked in a red jacket and matching shoes as he made his way in front of a weary group of reporters — a fashionably late arrival that felt more earned than ever.