NEW YORK – Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge announced Thursday on Twitter that he would retire from the NBA after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during his last appearance with the team.
“For 15 years I put basketball first,” Aldridge wrote. “And now, it’s time to put my health and my family first.”
Aldridge said he experienced irregular heartbeats during the Nets game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, after which his condition worsened.
“The next morning, I told the team what was going on and they were fine to take me to the hospital,” Aldridge wrote. “Even though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced.”
– LaMarcus Aldridge (@ aldridge_12) April 15, 2021
Aldridge had missed the last two Nets games with what the team called a non-COVID-19 disease.
Nets CEO Sean Marks says the team fully supports Aldridge’s decision to retire.
“We know this was not an easy decision for him, but after careful consideration and consultation with medical experts, he made the best decision for him, his family and his life after basketball,” he said. Marks in a statement.
Aldridge chose the Nets after accepting the purchase with the San Antonio Spurs, where he had spent the previous five and a half seasons. The seventh All Star spent the first nine years of his career with the Portland Trailblazers.
This report used information from the Associated Press