LaMarcus Aldridge on retirement: ‘The first day didn’t feel real’

Do you remember what the first day of retirement was like? LaMarcus ALdridge: The first day didn’t feel real. The first day felt like I had an off day. And then your second day, you feel like it’s a game day, so you’re just at home. And after like a …

Do you remember what the first day of retirement was like? LaMarcus ALdridge: The first day didn’t feel real. The first day felt like I had an off day. And then your second day, you feel like it’s a game day, so you’re just at home. And after like a week or two, you’re like: “Man, I’m not at the gym. I’m not with the fellas. I’m not traveling, not playing.” Like two weeks in, I was like: “Man, this is what it is. I have to find my new interest, shift my focus to something else.” That’s when it hit me, like, “Man, what’s next?”

Source: Sopan Deb @ New York Times

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
“Tonight he helped us although he wasn’t making shots the way he’s accustomed to making them.”
⁃Steve Nash on LaMarcus Aldridge. – 5:54 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Final: Nets beat the Raptors 116-103. James Harden was the hero in the fourth. Blake Griffin had a double-double. LaMarcus Aldridge had five assists. Brooklyn wins for the first time in Toronto since 2015. The win streak is five. They head to Chicago. – 5:43 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Steve Nash on LaMarcus Aldridge: “When he scores, it makes us a better team because our second unit is functional and efficient.” – 2:14 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Final: Nets beat the Pistons 96-90 to extend the winning streak to four. Durant led the Nets with 29. Aldridge with 16 off the bench. Blake Griffin with some revenge in his return to Detroit. Nets head to Toronto for a Sunday matinee in Steve Nash’s native land. – 9:30 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
FINAL: Nets 96, Pistons 90
Kevin Durant (29 PTS, 10 REBS), James Harden (13 PTS, 10 ASTS, 10 REBS), Blake Griffin (13 PTS, 5 REBS) & the Nets make it FOUR straight. Things got chippy between the two sides, but Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge (16 PTS) sealed the deal in the fourth. – 9:29 PM
Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh
LaMarcus Aldridge is YMCAing the hell out of the young Pistons. – 9:02 PM
James Edwards III @JLEdwardsIII
It won’t show up in the box score but I think Isaiah Stewart has been really, really good tonight. Aldridge is going to do what he does, but Stewart is not letting anyone else feel comfortable around the rim. – 9:01 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
LaMarcus Aldridge’s situation is unique given he suddenly retired in April, deep into the regular season. But if the NBA still had a comeback player of the year award he’d be an early leader to me. – 7:43 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
Steve Nash praises the Patty Mills-LaMarcus Aldridge tandem off the bench. He knows their recent success comes from their history with each other. – 5:36 PM

More on this storyline

Chris Bosh, after he retired early, talked about how, in retirement, one of the hardest things to come to grips with is not having a full schedule anymore. And not being around teammates or cheered by fans. And the guys that were texting you every day and aren’t texting you as much because you’re not part of the crew anymore. How did you deal with that? LaMarcus ALdridge: I’m to myself more than most, so the guys not texting me didn’t affect me. I don’t really text with guys now. But the whole traveling and your schedule, you have to figure out how to do it, how to fill that void. Because if you don’t, you end up feeling lost and kind of like, “What’s next?” That was very, very tough. Your first week or two is tough, because you go from busy, busy, busy to just — your phone’s quiet. Not even just from teammates. Just like, “Be at practice” or “Be at shootaround.” It goes from that to just this tranquil quietness that you could enjoy, but you’re also uncomfortable with, because you never had it. -via New York Times / November 8, 2021