We are sad to hear the news that Fabricio Oberto is retiring. He was an integral part of the rotation for the Spurs CHIP in ’07, and was always energetic with his time on the floor. Health definitely is the most important thing in life, so the decision is great for Oberto and his family, but this is just another case in the long list of injury cases for the Blazers’ front court over the past few years….
Portland Trail Blazers center Fabricio Oberto abruptly retired Thursday because of a previously diagnosed cardiac condition that caused heart palpitations.
Oberto, in his sixth year in the NBA, was signed as a free agent by the Blazers one day before the start of the season to help the frontcourt while centers Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden heal from knee surgeries.
Oberto experienced dizziness in Portland’s game against Milwaukee on Tuesday.
“I made this decision to put my health and my family in front of basketball,” Oberto said in a statement. “It was a tough decision to make after playing for so many years, but it was the right one.”
Oberto, a native of Argentina who played on the team that won the gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, played in each of the first five games for the Blazers, averaging 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.0 minutes.
Blazers coach Nate McMillan said he understood the decision.
“It wasn’t worth the risk of something serious happening,” he said.
Oberto played for four seasons with San Antonio, starting at center for the Spurs’ NBA championship team in 2007. He spent last season with the Washington Wizards.
He has averaged 3.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes over 336 career games, including 128 starts.
Read more details via AP on NBA.com
