Nets' LaMarcus Aldridge Announces Retirement From NBA Citing Recent Scare With Irregular Heartbeat

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)- Brooklyn Nets forward LaMarcus Aldridge announced Thursday that he is retiring from the NBA following a health scare.

Aldridge revealed he was dealing with an irregular heartbeat during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 10.

After the game, the situation got a little worse, so he went to the hospital, got checked out and missed the next two Nets games, including Wednesday night in Philadelphia.

Though Aldridge said in the statement that he is now feeling fine, he explained that after 15 years of putting basketball first, he wants to put his health and family first.

"My last game, I played while dealing with an irregular heartbeat. Later on that night, my rhythm got even worse which really worried me even more," Aldridge wrote. "The next morning, I told the team what was going on and they were great getting me to the hospital and getting me checked out.

"Though I'm better now, what I felt with my heart that night was till one of the scariest things I've experienced. With that being said, I've made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA. For 15 years, I've put basketball first, and now it is time to put my health and family first," he continued.

This is not the first time Aldridge has dealt with a serious heart situation, CBS2's Otis Livingston reports.

In 2007, he was diagnosed with the heart ailment Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and prior to the 2011-12 season, Aldridge underwent surgery to correct complications associated with his heart condition.

In his open letter, Aldridge thanked the three teams he played for in Portland, San Antonio and Brooklyn.

He also concluded the letter by saying, "You never know when something will come to an end, so make sure you enjoy it every day. I can truly say I did just that."

Aldridge has two sons.

The 15-year veteran was a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player in his time with the Portland Trailblazers and San Antonio Spurs. He joined the Nets in late March after agreeing to a buyout with the Spurs. He played five games for Brooklyn, the last of which was last Saturday against the Lakers.

Nets general manager Sean Marks released a statement on the team's Twitter account that said the organization "fully supports "LaMarcus' decision, and while we value what he has brought to our team during his short time in Brooklyn, his health and well being are far more important than the game of basketball."

In all, Aldridge played in 1,029 games in his career averaging 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is the Trailblazers career leader in rebounds (5,434) and defensive rebounds (3,698).