LaMarcus Aldridge Announces Sudden Retirement After Health Scare

The Brooklyn Nets acquire LaMarcus Aldridge via buyout after the trade deadline, giving them another superstar to add to a team that already had Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Blake Griffin.

Aldridge’s arrival solidified the Nets’ place in the best NBA betting sites as the odds on favorite to win the 2021 NBA title. And true enough, the Nets looked fantastic when they had most of their stars on hand. But injuries have prevented them from playing together. Now, a serious injury will not let that happen anymore.

LaMarcus Aldridge Retires

Instead of being the last piece of the Brooklyn championship puzzle, Aldridge became the first to go. In a statement he released via social media, the veteran forward revealed that he experienced an irregular heartbeat during his most recent game for the Nets. The 35-year old said that he experienced an irregular heartbeat during their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and his condition worsened after that.

Full statement from LaMarcus Aldridge, who has retired after 15 NBA seasons that included seven All-Star appearances and five All-NBA teams: pic.twitter.com/x2st5gsAse

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 15, 2021

That night, he said he got worried after his rhythm got worse. The next day, he checked in to a hospital. Although he says that he feels better now, he called the incident one of the scariest things he’s ever experienced. Aldridge’s statement ended with him saying that he’s always put basketball first before but now it’s time to put health and family above it.

In 2007, Aldridge was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which is an

“Extra electrical pathway between the heart’s upper and lower chambers that causes a heartbeat”. It’s unclear if what happened to him during the Lakers’ game is related to that issue.

The Nets respected Aldridge’s decision to retire with GM Sean Marks expressing full support for the veteran forward. Aldridge had missed the Nets’ last two games with what the team labeled as a non-pandemic related 19 illness.

Impressive NBA Career

Aldridge leaves with an impressive NBA career after he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 2nd overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and traded immediately to the Portland Trail Blazers. He is one of only 25 players in the history of the NBA to accumulate 19,000 career points and 8,000 career rebounds.

LaMarcus Aldridge is one of only 25 players in NBA history with 19,000+ career points and 8,000+ career rebounds.

A 7x All-Star and 5x All-NBA.

Hell of a career. pic.twitter.com/CLqqVFVNn2

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 15, 2021

He retires just 49 points shy of hitting the 20,000 point mark at 19,951 which puts him at 47th in the NBA’s All-Time scoring list. He is also ranked 62nd overall in rebounds at 8,478 and 68th overall in blocked shots with 1,140. Aldridge also finished his NBA career with a total of 2,034 assists and 744 steals. Because of his productivity, Aldridge was named to seven All-Star teams and had five All-NBA selections.

The 35-year old forward spent most of his career with the Blazers and is Portland’s all-time leading rebounder and third all-time leading scorer. His total of 648 games with the Blazers also ranks fifth-most in franchise history. Aldridge finishes his career with averages of 19.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.2 blocks in 34.2 minutes of playing time per game.

Although he was new with the team, the Brooklyn Nets will miss Aldridge who averaged 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in 26.2 minutes of action. He also had a 72-game playoff experience which would’ve come in handy for the Nets who are the odds on favorite to win the NBA title.