NEW YORK – Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge announced on Twitter on Thursday that he is retiring from the NBA after an irregular heartbeat during his last appearance with the team.
“I’ve put basketball first for 15 years,” Aldridge wrote. “And now is the time to put my health and family first.”
Aldridge, 35, said he experienced the irregular heartbeat 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 great in getting 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 scariest things I’ve experienced.”
– LaMarcus Aldridge (@ aldridge_12) April 15, 2021
Aldridge had missed the Nets’ past two games with what the team called a non-COVID-19 illness.
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 consideration and consultation with medical experts, he made the best decision for him, his family and for his life after basketball,” Marks said in a statement.
Aldridge chose the Nets after agreeing to buyout with the San Antonio Spurs where he had spent the previous 5½ seasons. The seven-time All Star spent the first nine years of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers.
This report uses information from the Associated Press.