Brooklyn Nets C LaMarcus Aldridge retires amid health concerns

After dealing with an irregular heartbeat over the weekend, Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge is calling it a career.

LaMarcus Aldridge was only with the Brooklyn Nets for a short period of time, but he made his mark on the NBA a long time ago. The seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player announced his retirement on Thursday morning, citing health concerns.

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— LaMarcus Aldridge (@aldridge_12) April 15, 2021

“My last game, I played while dealing with an irregular heartbeat,” Aldridge wrote in a statement. “Later on that night, my rhythm got even worse which really worried me even more.

“The next morning, I told the team what was going on and they were great getting me to the hospital and getting me checked out. Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I’ve experienced.

“With that being said, I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA. For 15 years, I’ve put basketball first, and now, it is time to put my health and my family first.”

Aldridge, 35, went on to thank the organizations he played for, including the Nets. He only appeared in five games for Brooklyn, averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

However, Aldridge was an All-Star as recently as 2019 and although he never won a championship, he was one of the best players in the NBA throughout his 15-year career.

In the meantime, the Nets are still fairly deep inside. DeAndre Jordan and Nicolas Claxton are the two true centers on the roster, but Blake Griffin, Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, and Alize Johnson have all put in time at the small-ball five position.