The number 2 overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft has officially retired from the league. LaMarcus Aldridge, a 7-time all-star, had a stellar career in the league ever since he was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers out of Texas.
In April 2021, he announced that he was stepping away from the game due to an irregular heartbeat but surprisingly came back to play for the Brooklyn Nets in March 2021. He appeared in 47 games for the Nets last season.
A severely underrated player, Aldridge averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block for his career. He has scored an impressive 20,558 points in the league – far more than the career points of Tracy McGrady, Scottie Pippen, and Magic Johnson.
The former all-star appeared in 1,076 games in his career and he has played for the Blazers, Spurs, and Nets. A mobile big man with a deadly mid-range game, Aldridge can light up the scoreboard in any given game. This was evident when he scored a career-high 56 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019.
It’s not certain yet if he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years from now. He certainly has the career credentials to be nominated as during his peak, he was considered one of the best power forwards in the game.
