NEW YORK – Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge announced on Thursday that he is retiring from the NBA after suffering an irregular heartbeat during his final appearance with the team.
“I’ve been putting basketball first for 15 years,” Aldridge wrote. “And now it’s time to put my health and family first.”
Aldridge, 35, 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 wonderful to take me to the hospital,” Aldridge wrote. “Although I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still 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 general manager Sean Marks said the team fully supports Aldridge’s decision to retire.
“We know this was not an easy decision for him, but after careful analysis and consultation with medical experts, he made the best decision for himself, his family and his life after basketball,” Marks said in a statement. communiqué.
Aldridge picked the Nets after agreeing a buyout with the San Antonio Spurs, where he spent the previous 5½ seasons. Seven times, All Star spent the first nine years of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.