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 with the Utah Jazz. He signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors last summer, but was released just before the season and has been a free agent since.
Gay was selected with the eighth pick in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets out of the University of Connecticut. A few weeks later he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
He spent most of his 17-season career with the Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.
The forward averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 1,120 career games (778 as a starter).
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 while he feels like “the luckiest guy in the world” for his accomplishments on the court, his career didn’t turn out exactly the way he would have liked.
‘My story is not a fairy tale. In the end, I guess I would say it was… complicated,” he wrote. ‘Just in terms of how it all worked. The injuries sucked, no doubt. And for some reason, there were several times where I ended up with teams in the middle of situations that just weren’t ideal, or teams dealing with some sort of internal turmoil.
“In those moments, of course, it was difficult. And at times it almost seemed like it was becoming too much. But at this point? At the end of the line? I can’t be upset about that stuff forever, you know what I mean? Spend the rest of my life thinking about what if? Being angry, bitter and in a bad mood? Be that guy? No, thanks.
‘Those were the cards they dealt me. 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 my best.
“Everything wasn’t always good. I could have done more or been better. But you know what? At the same time… in some cases, some nights, the result was really great. And the circle I formed, the moments I shared, the teammates and coaches I worked with, made every moment worth it.”
More to follow.