Ridnour was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and grew up in Blaine, Washington.[1] His father, Rob, was his basketball coach during high school. His father gave him the keys to the gym during his sophomore year; he was able to practice during the day and late into the night. Subsequently, he was on two state title-winning teams at Blaine High School, and was named a high school All-American by both McDonald's and Parade in 2000, his graduation year.
College career
Ridnour went on to star at the University of Oregon, where he teamed with Luke Jackson and Fred Jones to take the Ducks to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament twice including the Elite 8 in 2002. He set the school season record for assists (218) and made a conference-record 62 consecutive free throws. Ridnour averaged 19.7 points per game and 6.6 assist per game. Ridnour left Oregon after his junior year, when he was Pac-10 Player of the Year.
Professional career
Seattle SuperSonics (2003–2008)
Luke was picked 14th in the 2003 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Ridnour played sparingly during his rookie season, but became the starting point guard for the Sonics in the 2004–05 season. He participated in the 2005 All-Star weekend, playing in the Rookie Challenge and in the Skills Challenge. During the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Ridnour and the Sonics reached the conference semifinals, where Ridnour averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds as they were eliminated by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in a six-game series.[2] On November 13, 2006, Ridnour scored a career-high 32 points, including four made free throws to seal the victory, while leading Seattle to a 119–113 win over the New Jersey Nets.[3]
Milwaukee Bucks (2008–2010)
On August 13, 2008, Ridnour was involved in a three-team, six-player deal involving the Sonics (which had become the Oklahoma City Thunder), the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, that sent Milwaukee's Mo Williams to Cleveland, Cleveland's Joe Smith and Milwaukee's Desmond Mason to Seattle, Cleveland's Damon Jones and Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to Milwaukee, which ended Ridnour's five-year run with the Sonics/Thunder.[4] On January 22, 2010, Ridnour scored a season-high 27 points during a 101–96 loss to the Toronto Raptors.[5]
Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2013)
On July 21, 2010, Ridnour signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.[6] On February 22, 2012, he scored a buzzer-beater with a floater against the Utah Jazz.[7]
On July 25, 2014, Ridnour signed with the Orlando Magic.[10] His final NBA game was played on April 1, 2015, in a 91–103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs where he recorded six points and one assist.
Retirement
In June 2015, Ridnour garnered national attention as he was traded four times in the span of six days. On June 24, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the draft rights to Jānis Timma.[11] On June 25, the Grizzlies sent him to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Matt Barnes;[12] later that same day he was traded, along with a 2016 second-round draft pick, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jeremy Lamb.[13] Lastly, on June 30, Ridnour was traded to the Toronto Raptors along with cash considerations in exchange for the draft rights to Tomislav Zubčić.[14] Ridnour later stated in an interview with USA Today that he found the whole situation rather "funny", as he and his family were present at their home in Seattle while the moves were unfolding.[15] On July 9, 2015, he was waived by the Raptors,[16] adding to the list of teams he never visited during the two-week period.[15]
On September 21, 2015, Ridnour announced his decision to sit out the 2015–16 season.[17] On June 22, 2016, Ridnour announced his retirement from professional basketball.[18]
Ridnour is a Christian. Ridnour has spoken about his faith saying, "Even though I now have more success, fame, and money than I ever dreamed, my relationship with God is the only thing that brings me true peace and satisfaction."[19]
