On Wednesday, seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge announced his retirement from the NBA after 15 seasons due to concerns brought about by an irregular heartbeat. While this comes as a blow to the league and the Brooklyn Nets, who brought him on to help anchor the center position during their upcoming playoff run, Aldridge's retirement brought about a particularly heartfelt response from Nets superstar Kevin Durant.
NBA writer and host of the Hoops Hype podcast Michael Scotto gave Durant's response in a tweet:
Kevin Durant on LaMarcus Aldridge: "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."
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) April 17, 2021
Over his long career in the NBA, LaMarcus Aldridge was part of a bridge generation that helped to usher in the idea of a super-skilled big man with touch. His shooting range would eventually extend all the way to the three point line, and he was able to balance that range with a silky soft touch inside and crafty post moves. Throw in some of the most underrated rebounding of any big from the past two decades, and Aldridge was well deserving of those seven All-Star nods and five All-NBA berths.
An entry into Springfield might be a bit of a stretch for the big man, as he would never go on to enjoy much postseason success, but a Hall of Fame take from one of the greatest players in NBA history in Durant is no small thing.
As one of the first ‘one-and-done's' in NCAA Men's Basketball history, Kevin Durant isn't the most tenured or remembered Texas Longhorns players, so to cite that memory is especially poignant from the future Hall-of-Famer. Durant joins the countless players and fans that have shown their support and well wishes for LaMarcus Aldridge, who should rest easy knowing that he had a basketball career that most hoopers can only dream of.
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