A longtime NBA veteran has officially called it a career. JJ Redick announced that he would be retiring after 15 years in the NBA. Redick, 37, was a six-time NBA player and is well-known as one of the greatest college basketball players.
“As a 7-year-old boy, I dreamed of playing at Duke as I got older. I dreamed of playing in the NBA,” Redick said on his The Old Man and the Three podcast, per the Associated Press. “The last 30 years of basketball have been beyond my wildest dreams.
I could not have imagined I would be able to play basketball for as long as I did. I am retiring from the game I love after years of youth leagues, basketball camps, AAU, and high school basketball. I also spent four years at Duke.
Redick was drafted No. The Orlando Magic selected him 11th overall. After seven years living in Orlando, he joined the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Redick played in 940 regular-season games and averaged 12.8 points per game. His 1,950 career three-pointers were the 15th-most ever in NBA history. “Today, I am officially retiring from the game of basketball. Thank you to EVERYONE who was a part of my journey and career,” Redick wrote in an Instagram post.
“I started playing basketball 30 years ago in my backyard on an uneven patch of dirt, gravel, and grass. It was on that court that my dreams began to form. Reality has far surpassed my dreams!! So thankful for 15 years in the NBA and all the amazing relationships and memories along the way.”
Redick was a Duke basketball fan. Reddick was named to the All-ACC Third Team in his first season as a Blue Devil. He improved and was named the consensus National College Player of the Year in 2006. Redick was a Rupp Trophy winner twice and a consensus first-team All-American twice.
Redick left Duke as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2.769 points), and he is still Duke’s most-respected three-pointer shooter (457). While he didn’t win any championships while at Duke or in the NBA, he did make it close as a member of the Magic team that reached the NBA Finals 2009. In that series, the Magic lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1.