Nets’ LaMarcus Aldridge Retires From NBA After Health Scare

LaMarcus Aldridge is ending his NBA career. The Brooklyn Nets center announced on Twitter Thursday he’s retiring from basketball after experiencing an irregular heartbeat in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. He then revealed his condition got worse.

“The next morning, I told the team what was going on and they were great getting me to the hospital,” Aldridge wrote. “Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I’ve experienced. With that being said, I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA. For 15 years, I’ve put basketball fans first, and now, it’s time to put my health and family first.” According to ESPN, Aldridge missed the Net’s past two games with what the team called a non-COVID-19 illness. Once the announcement was made, Nets’ general manager Sean Marks released a statement.

“The Nets organization fully supports LaMarcus’ decision, and while we value what he has brought to our team during his short time in Brooklyn, his health and well-being are far more important than the game of basketball,” Marks said. “We know this was not an easy decision for him, but after careful consideration and consultation with numerous medical experts, he made the best decision for him his family and for his life after basketball.”

Aldridge, 35, joined Nets in March after his contract with the San Antonio Spurs was bought out by the team. He played in five games for the Nets and averaged 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He was looking to earn his first NBA Championship with the Nets, a team that has James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Aldridge was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers No. 2 overall in 2006 from Texas. He made the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2007 after posting nine points and five rebounds per contest. He played in his first All-Star game in 2012 and was named to the team six more times in his career. Aldridge spent nine seasons with the Trail Blazers before joining the San Antonio Spurs in 2015. For his career, Aldridge averaged 19.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and, two assists per game. He also was named to the All-NBA Second Team twice and the All-NBA Third Team three times.