NBA Champion Announces That He Is Retiring
Jodie Meeks was an absolute star for the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2009 season, his junior year of college.
The sharpshooter averaged an incredible 23.7 points on over 40% shooting from the three-point range.
The Milwaukee Bucks then selected him with the 41st overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
In addition to the Bucks, he played for the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons over his ten seasons in the NBA.
Most recently, he played for the Raptors when they won the 2019 NBA Championship over the Golden State Warriors.
Even though he has not been in the NBA for a few years, the 35-year-old played in the G League last season, and he is currently on Team USA playing in the FIBA AmeriCup.
In an interview with Steve Drumwright on Team USA Basketball's website (h/t Larry Brown Sports), Meeks announced that this will be his final stop as a player.
Meeks via Drumwright: “I’m young, but in basketball, I’m a little older,” Meeks said matter-of-factly. “I’m no spring chicken anymore. But that’s OK. I can still move, I still feel like I can still play. And obviously I’m out here doing well. So for my career, it’s definitely been a good one and this will be the icing on the cake.”
He is retiring from pro-basketball.
Via Drumwright's article: "This past season, his Toronto connections led him to play 18 games for Raptors 905 in the NBA G League. Meeks also played this summer in the Big3, but he says he has “officially retired” from pro ball, making this opportunity a little more special."
According to Drumwright, Meeks will now be an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron, which is the G League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Meeks ends his NBA career with career averages of 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest on 37.1% shooting from the three-point range in 539 regular season games.
He has also played in 34 NBA Playoffs games.
Overall, he was a very good role player who could always be relied upon as a shooter.
In 2014, he had the best season of his career while playing for the Lakers.
The former Wildcat averaged 15.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest, while also shooting over 40% from the three-point range.
