Oklahoma City Thunder center Cole Aldrich was assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder’s NBA Development League affiliate, it was announced today. The assignment marks the sixth time in the 2010-11 season an NBA player has been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate, and it is the first assignment for Aldrich, a rookie out of Kansas.
Aldrich (6-11, 245) has appeared in five regular season games for the Thunder, averaging 1.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. Oklahoma City acquired Aldrich, the 11th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, in a draft-day swap with the New Orleans Hornets.
A member of Kansas’ National Championship team in 2008, Aldrich averaged 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in 111 games over a three-year career with the Jayhawks. The school’s record holder for blocks in a season (125), Aldrich was an AP Third Team All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior.
