Rudy Gay is calling it a career.
After 17 seasons in the NBA, which included stints with the Grizzlies, Spurs, Jazz and Raptors, the 38-year-old Brooklyn native announced his retirement in The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday.
“Eighteen years in the league,” wrote Gay, who was active but did not play for a team last season. “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 not just OK. It’s like…. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Born in Crown Heights in 1986, Gay played two seasons at UConn before declaring for the NBA Draft.
The Rockets selected Gay with the eighth overall pick in 2006 and then promptly traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shane Battier.
Gay averaged 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and nearly one steal per game— earning a spot on the 2006-07 All Rookie team and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Gay’s stat-line improved over his ensuing six-and-a-half seasons with Memphis before the franchise dealt him to Toronto in January 2023.
The forward spent less than one calendar year with the Raptors before he was flipped to the Kings.
During his first full season in Sacramento, Gay averaged a career best in points (21.1) and assists (3.7) per game.
Gay was traded to the Spurs in 2017-18, his age 31 season, and then the Jazz in 2021-22, his age 35 season.
His 2022-23 campaign in Utah was the first in his career during which he didn’t start a single contest. And though Gay signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors the following summer, he was waived shortly before the season began.
Across his 17 seasons, Gay competed in 1,120 career games and logged 778 starts; he averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
“I needed to humble myself and be like: ‘Look, this is over,'” Gay wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “But actually coming to grips with it being over, that’s … a process. One I’m honestly still dealing with, and struggle with at times…
“I’m 38 years old. That’s nowhere even near mid-career for most people’s professional lives. So, the way I see it, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me … In the meantime, I’m just feeling extremely grateful for all the love, wisdom, and friendship that I’ve experienced in the game of basketball.”
