SAN ANTONIO-- After recording just five points, one rebound and three turnovers in a blowout loss against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, San Antonio Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge immediately deleted his Twitter and Insagram accounts.
Aldridge was not a heavy social media user but the move to get rid of both accounts seemed odd considering the timing. San Antonio had just gotten blown out and Aldridge had his worst game in a Spurs uniform. He was passive and got pushed around by Draymond Green, going 2 for 9 from the field while also getting seriously exploited defensively by Golden State.
San Antonio made a splash this past summer by signing Aldridge to a deal that made him the highest paid player on the team. With that comes some burden and by deleting his social media accounts, it could, perhaps, appear that Aldridge is trying to shrink away from the spotlight.
But according to Aldridge, the one and only reason he quit social media was because he simply wants to be more focused on San Antonio's season.
“I just wanted to lock in on my season right now, it had nothing to do with that game,” Aldridge said after the Spurs defeated the Rockets on Wednesday. “It’s not anything about the (Warriors) game. It’s a new adventure for me. I’ve never been in this system, with this team. I’ve never been on a top 2 team in the West.”
With the Portland Trail Blazers, Aldridge was part of several successful teams but he is right about playing for the Spurs. The Spurs are a legitimate championship contender and if deleting his social media accounts helps Aldridge focus on San Antonio's ultimate goal of winning in the Finals, then he has to do what he believes is best.
Aldridge is not the first player to quit social media. LeBron James always "goes dark" and quits social media around the playoffs to get more focused so Aldridge is not doing anything new or innovative. He may have taken it to an extreme though by actually deleting his accounts, something James doesn't do.
At least for one game, quitting social media seemed to work for Aldridge. Against the Rockets on Wednesday, Aldridge finished with a game-high 25 points (FG: 9-13), 10 rebounds and five assists.
