Spurs' Aldridge cleared to play following minor heart arrhythmia
Two games is all San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge had to miss after being ruled out indefinitely with a minor heart arrhythmia.
The five-time NBA All-Star has been cleared to play, and will be available for Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T Center, the team announced.
"We are thankful that LaMarcus will be able to rejoin the team," general manager RC Buford said in a statement. "All of us have been impressed with the professionalism and grace he has shown in dealing with this difficult situation."
Aldridge underwent a series of tests, as well as consultations with several medical experts, before receiving clearance to resume all basketball-related activities.
"He has dealt with this all year long, which nobody really knew about," said head coach Gregg Popovich, according to My San Antonio's Tom Orsborn. "Being a consummate pro, he was able to do everything that was necessary to bring this to some sort of a conclusion. And that wasn’t easy. Throughout the year, he has gone through some procedures and had to do some things that are not pleasant and he has shown a lot of class and a lot of fortitude in the way he has done it all."
San Antonio went 2-0 without its second-leading scorer, picking up victories against the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks. The team is currently half a game behind the Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference at 52-14, but now holds the tiebreaker following its win on Saturday.
In 58 appearances in his second year with the franchise, Aldridge is averaging 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds on 47.4 percent shooting from the field.