Mid-season retirements are exceedingly rare in the NBA, so when they tend to happen, players will take to social media to offer up praise for whomever decided to call it a career. That exact thing happened on Thursday morning, as LaMarcus Aldridge announced his sudden decision to retire after 15 years in the Association due to an irregular heartbeat.
Aldridge, who retired as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, commanded respect during his time in league as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, and in response, several current and former players used Twitter to celebrate his productive career and highlight how good of a dude he was away from the court.
Peace be with you fam! Helluva run!! https://t.co/wfr6CRQlRz
— David West (@D_West30) April 15, 2021
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) April 15, 2021
Congrats on your career! What a tough match for all the big guys out there! Enjoy your retirement bro 🙏 https://t.co/pbiBff0MyV pic.twitter.com/9Vm1gD8muC
— Tiago Splitter (@tiagosplitter) April 15, 2021
Hall of fame career and even better person!!! Salute to you killa @aldridge_12 🙏🏾 https://t.co/fACGNaidkU
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) April 15, 2021
One of the toughest match ups I had to face! Congratulations on an amazing career! Enjoy family time… https://t.co/1wNKwK5iJ7
— Nikola Vucevic (@NikolaVucevic) April 15, 2021
Helluva career! Wishing you nothing but health brotha 🙏🏽 https://t.co/MvrBkrZLG8
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) April 15, 2021
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) April 15, 2021
Always remember the good times, particularly those at McLoughlin Auto Mall #RipCity https://t.co/Bb7hfYaoe4
— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) April 15, 2021
Congrats LA! Midrange King. Enjoy your life fam! 🙏🏽💪🏽 https://t.co/Fvhrr2l1FX
— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) April 15, 2021
Legendary run my brother! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 https://t.co/oCAzEzRLdk
— Danny Green (@DGreen_14) April 15, 2021
Legendary!! 🙌🏾 https://t.co/cgaZVHaPN2
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) April 15, 2021
What a Career!!! https://t.co/aHB3s2IteB
— Langston Galloway (@LangGalloway10) April 15, 2021
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) April 15, 2021
@aldridge_12 a pros pro. prayers up family!!! #Healthiswealth
— Jason "The Jet" Terry (@jasonterry31) April 15, 2021
A handful of former teammates made it a point to say that they viewed taking the floor alongside him an honor, with one of them, Jamal Crawford, praising him for being “the realest I’ve ever met.”
It was an absolute honor to play with you my brother. I wish you nothing but the best for you and your family. Take care my brother #TheLtraaaaaaaiiiiiiiiin 🚂 pic.twitter.com/GZqDywRylj
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) April 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/DBertans_42/status/1382721715592069120
@aldridge_12, the realist I've ever met. We played together 1 season, and you would think we've known each other for decades. Your " star" stature never changed you. You never looked at yourself like that, you were just "LA". I always loved that about you. My brother for life. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/UKTZyDNKNw
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) April 15, 2021
Aldridge had a productive career largely as a member of the Blazers and Spurs, earning seven All-Star nods and five All-NBA selections. He became a member of the Nets last month after San Antonio bought out his contract, and as he explained, his retirement came on the heels of Aldridge suffering an irregular heartbeat in his fifth game with Brooklyn.
