Former Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay announced he is retiring from the NBA after playing 17 seasons in the league. Gay confirmed his decision in a piece written for The Players’ Tribune.
“Hoops allowed me to enter a different world. Then, when I made it to the NBA, it was like that incredible fantasy world became real. To choose to bring that to an end? It’s not easy,” Gay wrote. “You know what, though? Real talk. 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 last played in the NBA during the 2022-23 season with the Utah Jazz. He suited up for 56 games, averaging 5.2 points and 2.9 assists. Gay spent some time with the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2023-24 campaign but was waived during final roster cuts.
Rudy Gay entered the league as a first-round pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2006 NBA Draft following three years of college basketball with UConn. However, he never played for the Rockets, who immediately traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gay made the NBA All-Rookie First Team in his first season as a pro and ended up spending six and a half years with the Grizzlies. He went on to play for the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs before landing with the Jazz.
Overall, Gay played a total of 1,120 games in his NBA career, averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
