Kevin Durant Regards LaMarcus Aldridge’s Retirement to be Shocking, Hails His 15-Year-Old Career as “Hall of Fame Level”

Less than a month after joining Brooklyn Nets, LaMarcus Aldridge announced his retirement due to heart issues. However, this sudden decision from Aldridge left his teammate Kevin Durant in shock.

Aldridge announced his retirement with a “heavy heart” via an Instagram post yesterday, which surprised the whole Brooklyn Nets team. Before taking the retirement decision, Aldridge discussed briefly with Durant and told him about his heart issues. “I talked to him the night before announced and told me the news. I was definitely shocked because he looked great to me,” Kevin Durant said.

Aldridge faced an irregular heartbeat during his last game against the Lakers on April 10, which got worse later that night. Further, this heat issue made him think about his family and his health.

However, Durant is happy for Aldridge as he has completed a lively career. “I’m happy he made this decision. His 15 years in the league was elite Hall-of-Fame level. I can remember when I was visiting Texas, he was my host on my visit. Then, to finish his last game and play with him in his last game was pretty surreal,” Durant stated about Aldridge’s career.

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LaMarcus Aldridge briefly appeared at Nets

Seven-time All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge joined Brooklyn Nets in March 2021 and played his debut game on April 1 against Charlotte Hornets. Aldridge was not highly active throughout the season and played only 26 games.

Aldridge ended up playing five games, with Brooklyn averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds on 52.1% shooting from the field. His brief contribution at the Nets helped the team to win three games.

Overall, the 35-year-old averaged 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Throughout Aldridge’s 15 years of NBA career, his phenomenal performance led the Blazers and Spurs to nine playoff appearances. Nevertheless, Aldridge’s performance was even better in the postseason, and his average score was 20.8 and 8.5 per contest.

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