15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick announces retirement
Sharpshooting guard JJ Redick says he is retiring from the game of basketball and that it was time for him “to be a dad” after 15 years in the NBA.
In his podcast entitled “The Old Man and the Three“, he talked about his basketball journey which has now come to an end. “As a 7-year-old boy, I dreamed of playing at Duke as I got older. I dreamed of playing in the NBA,” he said.
“I never could have imagined that I would have played basketball for this long. After years of youth leagues, AAU, high school basketball, four years at Duke and 15 years in the NBA, I’m retiring from the game that I love so much,” shared the 37-year-old.
Redick goes down in Duke history as its all-time leading scorer, logging 2,769 points in his college career. His number 4 jersey was retired, making him the 13th Duke player to be bestowed this honor.
His sports colleagues took to social media to congratulate him on his announcement.
Redick's childhood dreams fulfilled
Redick posted a photo of himself as a young boy on Instagram, where he thanked everyone who was part of his basketball career.
“I started playing basketball 30 years ago in my backyard on an uneven patch of dirt, gravel, and grass. It was on that court that my dreams began to form,” he wrote.
“Reality has far surpassed my dreams! So thankful for 15 years in the NBA and all the amazing relationships and memories along the way.”
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Redick: Master of the three-pointer
Redick played for six teams during his stint with the NBA- the Orlando Magic, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Dallas Mavericks.
He was one of the league’s top crack shots, and wraps up his career ranked 15th among 3-point shooters in the history of the NBA. He shot 41.5% in his years with the league, with an average of 12.8 points, two rebounds, and two assists in 25.5 minutes per game.
Redick said last season brought with it a number of trials, among them being injured, being away from his family, dealing with Covid protocols, and not playing up to his standards.
After facing all these challenges, he decided to reflect and determine whether he wanted to keep playing basketball. And what he concluded was that he was ready to hang up his jersey and move on to the next phase of his life.
“It’s time for me to be a dad.”