Shams Charania reported LaMarcus Aldridge’s retirement from basketball on Friday, March 31. The veteran big man has ended his long and illustrious career twice now. Aldridge announced his retirement during the 2020-21 season due to health concerns brought on by an irregular heartbeat. He was fortunate to receive medical clearance before the following season, when he appeared in 47 games for the Brooklyn Nets.
He scored 12.9 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game on the year. Aldridge appeared to be holding out hope that he would sign with a team this year as a free agent, but as the playoffs get closer, he is ready to leave. LaMarcus Aldridge has more than 20,000 career points and has been named an All-Star seven times.
His career retrospective
LaMarcus Aldridge was named an All-Star seven times during his sixteen-year career. He was a McDonald’s All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year prior to entering the league. In the 2006 NBA draft, Aldridge was chosen second generally speaking by the Chicago Bulls, who exchanged his freedoms to the Portland Pioneers for their pick, and a couple of players.
He averaged 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team as a rookie. He didn’t really get into a rhythm until his second year in the league. LaMarcus Aldridge played 34.9 minutes per game and averaged 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks during his second season.
Aldridge continued to improve throughout his nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, earning All-Star recognition each year from 2012 to 2015. In his first season with the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich, he was named an All-Star. This marked the beginning of the six-year partnership between the players and coaches.
Aldridge will step down from the game at 37 years old with a legacy tied to two distinct franchises now that his retirement appears to be official.
Aldridge’s player efficiency rating during his time with the San Antonio Spurs ranks fifth all-time.
Some of his best moments from his 56-point performance against the Spurs are shown below.
After 16 NBA seasons, seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge announced his second retirement on Friday.
Aldridge initially announced his retirement on April 15, 2021, citing health concerns related to a erratic heartbeat.
The following season, he played in 47 games (with 12 starts) for the Nets and averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds.
In his Twitter announcement on Friday, Aldridge paid tribute to Tom Brady, an NFL star who has retired twice.
Aldridge was named to the second team of the NBA All-Conference twice and the third team three times.