Back in 2020, Trevor Ariza was playing very well for someone in his 16th season in the league. He knew his career was coming to an end because he had shown signs of slowing down, but Ariza was still capable of contributing at least 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds a night.
On top of that, his championship and veteran experience were integral for his team, which at that time was the Portland Trail Blazers .
Ariza's last productive year in the NBA also happened to coincide with the time he was finally given court-ordered visitation rights for his 12-year-old firstborn son, Tajh, whom he had not seen in nearly a year due to custody issues.
So when he had to pick between continuing his 16th season in the Orlando NBA Bubble or maximizing his one-month visitation rights to be with Tajh, Ariza went with the latter which then resulted in ending his season.
"So when there were options put on the table and one of them was to have some time with my son, I chose my family," Ariza said . "Our youth is our future. Period. If I can't take the time to teach Tajh the little things that every father teaches their son, then I'm not doing my job. And my job is to be a father before anything else."
Trevor knows he made the right decision, but that doesn't mean it was an easy one. By giving up the opportunity to compete for Portland in the Bubble, he reportedly lost between $1 million and $1.8 million in salary. That was a lot for someone who was making 12.2 million and needed to maximize every dollar he received because he knew he was at the tail-end of his career.
"Man, the word 'hard' doesn't even begin to describe it," Ariza told ESPN. "This is what I was born to do, to play basketball. I've been doing it my whole life. And to know my team has a chance to compete for a championship and I'm not with them. It burns me up inside."
But family had to take precedence and Ariza had no regrets with how he spent his time with his son. They both bonded over boxing, dancing and basketball and would spend hours watching TV every day alongside each other.
After their time together, Ariza attempted to join the Blazers in Orlando but was denied by the NBA.
Led by Damian Lillard , the Blazers put together an inspiring run by winning six of their eight games during the seeding round which secured them the eight seed in the Western Conference and a spot in the play-in tournament. The team eventually advanced to the first round of the playoffs, where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers , who they lost to in five games.
The Blazers, who stayed in touch with Ariza throughout their time at the Bubble, significantly missed the forward, but not once did they resent him for deciding to spend time with Tajh.
Ariza admitted that he was anticipating backlash — especially from the fans — but he was glad that he didn't experience it at all.
"The Blazers couldn't have been more supportive. They understand how big this is, the times we are in, how important it is to teach a young Black boy to grow to be a successful Black man," Ariza said .
Ariza's decision to forego extra income and play out the last few games in his last productive season in the NBA just to spend time with his son shows that there's more to life outside basketball. That making decisions like this isn't always easy, but ultimately, family triumphs over anything else.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
