"Bingo Bango Bongo", "RipCity" & "It's a good day to be a Blazer!" All things that when heard warm Portlander's hearts and best said with lungs full of air along side 20k+ roaring Blazer fans at the Moda Center, but unlike the previous statements there is one that leaves a sour taste in our mouths...

Anytime someone mentions "LaMarcus Aldridge" in the Pacific Northwest, eyes glaze over, smiles turn to rage and some even begin to twitch uncontrollably until they are sat down and forced to watch replays of Lillard, savagely taking out the Houston Rockets with less than a second and advancing the Blazers to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

See the problem is Aldridge made Blazer fans believe he would be mentioned among names like, Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler or Terry Porter, some of the greatest Blazers of all time. Not hard to conceive with the numbers he was producing, but during the 2015 off-season Portland fans learned they had been cheated, tricked & lied too.

To understand we have to back up to the 2014 off-season when owner Paul Allen and general manager Neil Olshey traveled to Los Angeles to meet with LaMarcus and offer him a contract extension. Aldridge declined and said it made more sense financially to wait another year and then sign a 5 year max deal that would allow him to finish his career as a Blazer. He told multiple local media outlets that he didn't want the fans to think that he was unhappy or wanted to leave. During those interviews he told fans "It was simply a business deal" "I want to finish my career in Portland" "I want to be the greatest Blazer of all time", but we now know those statements were all lies.

LaMarcus never intended on staying in Portland. Matter of fact, Aldridge was demanding to be traded in 2013 and later back tracked and tried to say it was all rumors. It's pretty safe to assume his agent informed him a trade could be devastating to his career and instead advised him to wait it out and become an unrestricted free agent. So in 2014 when the Blazers offered him a contract extension he lied threw his teeth to keep from being traded and in 2015 LaMarcus ran away from Portland quicker then Raymond Felton does anytime he is spotted in public near the RipCity faithful.

Aldridge signed a 4 year deal with the Spurs worth less then what the Blazers could have offered him and effectively left the team who made him the star he is today, high and dry. He could of stated his true intentions back in 2014 and worked out a deal that benefited the Blazers & himself equally, but instead gave birth to the worst NBA snub since Lebron left Cleveland for Miami (At least Lebron made up for it). He left the Blazers (a team who won 51 games last year) with nothing, nada, zip... No time to plan, no draft picks & no options other than to rebuild.

He took everything he learned in 9 years training with Portland and delivered it to San Antonio on a silver platter. To add insult to injury he kept jersey number #12. That number was used by Blazer fans to identify a star, something we were proud of, something that represented hope and a chance at a title. It may not seem like much to most, but when a Blazer fan see's the number 22 it brings back fond memories of The Glide and championship battles against Jordan. When Clyde left for Houston he kept his jersey number as well, but he didn't leave Portland in a malicious way and most were proud to see him continue the legacy and earn a title. The same just can't be said for Aldridge.

That is why this petition exists. This petition is an apology and respect request. While we can't make Aldridge take back the lies, give us a team who can win 51 games or make other stars feel comfortable signing with the Blazers after the way he left. We can how ever ask for a show of respect and remorse for his decisions by changing his jersey number to something other than the number 12. I believe that the slow healing process could then begin and then maybe some time in the future his achievements in Portland won't be overshadowed by his poor choices.

You can support this petition by signing it and sharing it on social media. You can also let LaMarcus Aldridge know you support it by Booing him anytime he touches the ball and by bringing your "Beat LA" signs out anytime San Antonio is in town. When and if he decides to show respect to the fans & the Blazer organization we can let him know the healing process has begun with a standing ovation. Until then and after RipCity!!!