NBA veteran Rudy Gay has confirmed that he is retiring from basketball after a storied career with five different teams in the league.
The 38-year-old last played in the 2022-23 season for the Utah Jazz. He has signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors last summer but was waived just before the season and had been a free agent since.
Gay was selected with the No. 8 pick in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets out of the University of Connecticut. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies a few weeks later.
He spent the majority of his 17-season career with the Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings.
The forward averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds across 1,120 career games (778 starts) with the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Jazz.
NBA veteran Rudy Gay has confirmed that he is retiring from basketball
Gay announced the news in an article for the Players’ Tribune, admitting that he feels like ‘the luckiest guy in the world’ for his accomplishments on the court but had to accept the reality and call time on his NBA career.
‘I needed to humble myself and be like: “Look, this is over,”‘ Gay wrote Tuesday. ‘But actually coming to grips with it being over, that’s … a process. One I’m honestly still dealing with, and struggle with at times. I’ll still be watching games and see some of these guys missing a pass or fumbling the ball out of bounds, and I absolutely am that dude yelling at the TV like: “I’m better than that clown. Are you kidding me?!?!?” It’s not pretty.
‘I’m 38 years old. That’s nowhere even near mid-career for most people’s professional lives. So, the way I see it, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. … In the meantime, I’m just feeling extremely grateful for all the love, wisdom, and friendship that I’ve experienced in the game of basketball.’
Gay battled injuries throughout the second half of his career as he bounced around between teams during rebuilding phases.
And, he admitted that his career didn’t turn out exactly how he’d have liked.
He spent the majority of his 17-season career with the Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings
‘My story, it’s not some fairy tale. In the end, I guess I would say it was … complicated,’ he wrote. ‘Just in terms of how it all worked out. The injuries sucked, for sure. And, for whatever reason, there were a number of times when I ended up with teams in the middle of situations that were just not ideal, or teams dealing with some sort of internal turmoil.
‘In those moments, of course it was difficult. And at times it almost felt like it was becoming too much. But at this point? At the end of the line? I can’t be upset about those things forever, you know what I mean? Spend the rest of my life thinking about what-ifs? Be all pissed off and bitter and grumpy? Like, be that guy? No thanks.
‘Those were the cards I was dealt. And I can honestly tell you that I did the best I could with those cards. I may not have been the best player on the planet, but I really did try my best.
‘It wasn’t always all good. I could’ve done more or been better. But you know what? At the same time … in some cases, on some nights, the result was actually really cool. And the circle I formed, the moments I shared, the teammates and coaches I worked alongside with, made the ride worth every moment.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .