Rudy Gay retires from NBA after 17 seasons, reflects on ‘complicated’ career
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Rudy Gay is officially retiring after 17 seasons in the NBA.
“My NBA days are over,” Gay wrote in an announcement published in The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday. “Everyone gets to a point where what they’re able to do is just not good enough anymore. I needed to humble myself and be like: Look, this is over.“
Gay, 38, last played in the league on March 22, 2023 for the Utah Jazz. He signed a one-year contract with the Golden State Warriors in September 2023 before being waived by the team.
“I’d be lying if I said my career turned out exactly how I wanted it to. Let’s be real here. It didn’t… My story, it’s not some fairy tale. In the end, I guess I would say it was … complicated,” Gay wrote. “I can’t be upset about those things forever, you know what I mean? Spend the rest of my life thinking about what-ifs?”
Gay was a McDonald’s All-American and highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. He played two seasons for the UConn Huskies (2004–2006) under coach Jim Calhoun and was drafted with the eighth overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft. He spent the first six-plus years of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2007. Gay also had stints with the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz.
Across 1,120 regular season games (779 starts), Gay averaged 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
“I’m just feeling extremely grateful for all the love, wisdom, and friendship that I’ve experienced in the game of basketball,” Gay said. “Eighteen years in the league. Learned from some of the best to ever do it. Made some incredible lifelong friends. Feeling good. Healthy. Inspired. Have a family that loves me, and who I love more than anything… I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
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