Bogut not retiring yet, leaves Sydney Kings during virus shutdown

Andrew Bogut of Australia battles for a rebound with Eloy Vargas of the Dominican Republic during their second round basketball game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Nanjing in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. (AP Photo)

NBA championship-winning center Andrew Bogut announced Monday that he would not be renewing his contract with the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League.

But the 35-year-old Australian insisted in a social media post that he was “by no means” retiring yet, just taking time to consider his options given the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I have decided not to sign with the Sydney Kings, or any professional sporting team for that matter for the time being,” Bogut wrote on Twitter.

“With everything going on in the world, the future does not look too clear, most notably in regards to sporting leagues worldwide,” he said.

“This by no means is a retirement note, but simply saying any concrete decisions are too hard to be made at this point in time.”

Bogut signed a two-year contract with the Kings in 2018 following a 13-year NBA career capped when he won the championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

He was the NBL’s MVP for the 2018/19 season and the Kings made it to the league’s grand final this year before the season was ended prematurely by the coronavirus shutdown.

Bogut said Monday that he had enjoyed spending the lockdown with his wife and “learning more about my kids than I ever could have previously.”

“The plan moving forward? Spending time with my wife and kids, slowly getting back into physical shape, and finally making the most of the time we don’t traditionally get at home,” he said.

The seven-foot tall (2.13-metre) Bogut was the NBA’s top draft pick in 2005 and spent seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to Golden State.

He also played with the Dallas Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.