LaMarcus Aldridge retired from the NBA last week. I feel like I’m still processing this news. He looked to be finding his groove in Brooklyn. He was going to be a contributor, probably a starter, on one of the favorites from the East. He was putting up solid numbers. And he finally seemed to be healthy. Then, out of the blue, he retired due to an irregular heartbeat.

I read Aldridge’s statement after hearing the news, still in disbelief, and it was profound and perfect. The way he talked about teams giving him a chance, Portland drafting a skinny guy from Texas and letting him flourish, to San Antonio signing him when he was a prized free agent and letting him be him, to Brooklyn who was happy to have him, and very much needed him, it was so nice and so correct. When he talked about how he’s dedicated his life to basketball, putting things on the back burner to get better at honing his skills, to constantly working on his game, to now realizing what is important, his family and his health, that part made me tear up. And when he simply ended it with a very warm and gentle thank you, it was so true to the person he is, and was as a basketball player.

I did some digging and found out that he had a rough night a few nights back with his irregular heartbeat. He then felt better I guess, enough to play, but then it came back. That scared him. That would scare me. And then to come to this decision, to walk away with a chance at a ring, I respect the hell out of him for that. He chose family and health over fame. He wants to see his kids grow up. He wants to be with his partner. He wants to experience things all of us non professional athletes take for advantage. I’ve had the great pleasure seeing both my kids take their first steps, lose their teeth, scrape their knees and find out their limitations. LaMarcus Aldridge may have missed out on some, or all of those things. I can’t imagine missing that stuff. Now though, he doesn’t have to. I would love to say that I’d do the same, but I don’t know. Knowing LMA, his situation must have been very, very scary. He must’ve been worried for his life, to walk away. Again though, I respect it.

As for his career, I think he will go down as an underrated star. In Portland he grew as a young rookie into a reliable scoring threat from the high and low post. His jumper from the corner of the high post was one of the most reliable shots in the NBA. Every time he rose up to shoot I assumed it was going in. He parlayed that into a nice duo with Damian Lillard. Lillard and Aldridge formed a solid duo that helped Portland get back to respectability. They became a perennial playoff team. They were always a threat. They beat some good teams in early playoffs rounds. Then, at the height of his career, he was the free agent everyone wanted. He took meetings with any team he chose. He was the guy that teams thought could put them over the edge. As sad as I was to see him leave Portland and Dame, I was pleasantly surprised when he signed with the Spurs. He could’ve signed with either LA team, or joined a burgeoning super team, but he picked San Antonio. I think it was part Greg Poppovich, part the similarities in his game to Tim Duncan. And while he didn’t have the same success Duncan had, the Spurs stayed relevant and kept making the playoffs. Aldridge ushered in the post Tim Duncan era. He was a solid replacement for Duncan. He wasn’t Duncan, no one is, but Aldridge was serviceable. The past two seasons he slowed down a bit, but he was in the league for 15 years. He was an older vet, plain and simple. Then he asked out of San Antonio, as expected, they’re going super young, finally, and he signed with Brooklyn for the minimum. I was kind of surprised, but understood why. He was nearing the end of his career, and he saw an opportunity for a ring, but he wouldn’t have to compromise the player he was. And seeing him play in Brooklyn, he was fitting in just nice. He was getting starts, playing solid minutes and draining that corner jumper of his regularly. He looked to be another offensive weapon. Then the irregular heartbeat came up, and his career was over.

I do not want us to put LMA in some weird category. He doesn’t have a ring or an MVP or any of that, but LMA is an all time great big man. He was a great mold of old school and new school basketball. He was great in the post, but could also pull rim protectors out of the post with his jumper. He was a solid rebounder. And he played serviceable defense. To me his career is really no different than another player’s that was cut very short due to an unforeseen health issue, Chris Bosh. It’s a shame both of them didn’t get a full run in the NBA. But what they gave us was pretty memorable. I do think LMA is a hall of fame basketball player, and I agree with Dame that Portland should retire his number.

Enjoy retirement LaMarcus Aldridge, and stay healthy. You had a great NBA career, but now you get to be with your family and witness everything you’ve been wanting to see. You more than deserve it. Congrats on a wonderful career.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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