LaMarcus Aldridge has officially retired from the NBA, via his Twitter account this morning. He cites an irregular heartbeat as the reason why he’s hanging it up after 15 years.
This news came to the surprise of many, especially since the veteran just signed with the Brooklyn Nets a few weeks ago to help him finally win that championship he so strongly desired.
In his stint with the Nets statistically he was looking really good. In five games (all five of which he started in), he averaged 12.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 52.1% FG and 2.2 BPG. He seemed to be fitting in perfectly, which he addressed in his farewell letter.
“I want to thank Brooklyn. You wanted me for me. In a game that’s changing so much, you asked me to come and just do what I do which was good to hear. I’m sorry it didn’t get to last long, but I’ve definitely had fun being a part of this special group.”
LaMarcus Aldridge
He was for sure right that the Nets embraced him for him. Over the course of his career he was known for his back to the basket post game, midrange game and in his later years, stretching the floor by hitting the deep ball. He did all of the above in Brooklyn, and even hit 4/5 threes by the way.
What the former Longhorn has planned next, whether it will be time away from basketball, a coaching job, front office job or analyst gig remains to be seen. However, whatever he decides, he’ll have the support from the NBA family, as many have already taken to social media to support his decision this morning.
Lastly, it’s likely that with Aldridge gone now, DeAndre Jordan will be inserted back into the lineup after being taken out as soon as Aldridge suited up for the Nets. Last night in an impressive outing, against the Philadelphia 76ers, Jordan got a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He also dished out five assists and went 6/7 from the field in his start.
Brooklyn’s next game is against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Image: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
