NEW YORK – Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge announced on Twitter on Thursday that he is retiring 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 is the time to put my health and family first.”
Aldridge, 35, said he experienced the irregular heartbeat during Saturday’s Nets game against the Los Angeles Lakers, after which his condition worsened.
“The next morning I told the team what was going on, and it was great to take me to the hospital,” Aldridge wrote. “Even though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever experienced.”
– LaMarcus Aldridge (@ aldridge_12) 15 April 2021
Aldridge has missed the past two Nets games with what the team called a non-COVID-19 disease.
Nean general manager Sean Marks said the team supports Aldridge’s decision to retire.
“We know it 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,” Marks said in a statement.
Aldridge selected the Nets after agreeing with the San Antonio Spurs where he spent the previous 5½ season. The seven-time All Star has spent the first nine years of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.