It was a simple gesture, but one that briefly reconnected the two players most responsible for the Portland Trail Blazers' decade of consistent success.
As Damian Lillard officially passed him for No. 2 on the franchise's all-time scoring leaderboard, former Blazers standout LaMarcus Aldridge made sure to show some love to his former teammate:
It took Lillard 112 fewer games to pass Aldridge, with whom he played with from 2012-15. Aldridge, the Blazers' No. 2 pick in 2006, departed for the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent in 2015.
Lillard can now turn his attention to catching franchise icon Clyde Drexler, who boasts a 5,456-point lead.
| Rank | Player | Points | GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clyde Drexler | 18040 | 867 |
| 2 | Damian Lillard | 12584 | 536 |
| 3 | LaMarcus Aldridge | 12562 | 648 |
| 4 | Terry Porter | 11330 | 758 |
| 5 | Clifford Robinson | 10405 | 644 |
At his current career scoring pace of 23.5 points per game, Lillard will be able to surpass "The Glide" in 233 more outings.