Rudy Gay retires after 17 seasons with five NBA teams

FILE– Rudy Gay #8 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on January 24, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. –Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP 

Veteran forward Rudy Gay announced in The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday that he is retiring after 17 NBA seasons.

Gay, 38, last played for the Utah Jazz in 2022-23. He signed with the Golden State Warriors in September 2023 but was waived prior to the start of last season.

He owns career averages of 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 1,120 games (779 starts) with the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Jazz.

READ: Jazz forward Rudy Gay to miss start of NBA season

“It wasn’t always all good. I could’ve done more or been better,” Gay wrote. “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.”

Gay was selected by the Houston Rockets with the eighth overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft out of UConn before being traded weeks later to the Grizzlies. –Field Level Media