LaMarcus Aldridge admits attempt at leaving Spurs in Dame Lillard docuseries

San Antonio has a reputation for being good to their players. Despite the bump in the road during the Kawhi saga that falsely tried to paint the Spurs as less than accommodating, they remain a classy organization. That well-known fact makes it disappointing to hear fan favorite LaMarcus Aldridge admit that he tried to leave the 210 to return to the organization that shipped him off in the first place.

He doesn't make clear exactly when he started his campaign to return to Portland, but he acknowledges that his first attempt was made while he still wore Silver and Black. Loyalty is a word that gets thrown around too often in sports when the term "respect" will do.

The Spurs welcomed Aldridge with open arms

The Trail Blazers reportedly disrespected Aldridge several times throughout his tenure there. It was why he left, if you believe the rampant rumors of his jealousy of Damian Lillard's stardom. When Dame stepped into the spotlight, it was supposedly the last straw for the Texas-born big man who thought he should be the focal point of the team.

Whether they thought he conducted himself in a way that demonstrated his capacity to be, that is uncertain, but they wanted him there. He was offered a max-contract and declined it to join San Antonio, who paid him the most they could: $80 million over four years. He was to be somewhat of the heir apparent to Tim Duncan, and while nobody can replace Timmy, he had success with the Spurs.

LaMarcus made the All-Star team three times as a member of the Silver and Black, but that wasn't all. The midrange maestro made the All-NBA Team twice, received Defensive Player of the Year votes once, and MVP votes in another season. Not to mention the consistent playoff appearances during his tenure from his partnership with Kawhi Leonard to DeMar DeRozan.

Portland did have varying degrees of success, and as the team that drafted him, there was likely some nostalgia at play. They made the Western Conference Finals once during Lillard's run, and that was one of the seasons the Spurs were bounced out in the first round (2018-19).

Still, reports were consistent that Aldridge felt disrespected by Portland's elevation of Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, and Dame Lillard as the leading man for their organization. If he felt so disrespected, why would he want to leave the place that welcomed him with wealth and success to return to old pastures?

It's hard to understand the mind of an athlete, but whatever the real answer is, it won't change much. Unless San Antonio was secretly treating him poorly, it would make little sense from our side. Nevertheless, he provided some fun memories, so he'll still be appreciated for that. It's not a great look, though.