Sacramento Kings’ forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim today announced his retirement from the NBA as a player due to a reoccurring knee injury.
“First of all, on behalf of the entire organization I want to thank Shareef for his contribution to the Kings and NBA both on and off the court,” said Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. “He has had an exemplary career as a player and citizen. It is unfortunate for any productive career to be felled by injury. However, no one can ever doubt Shareef’s effort, commitment or desire to excel. It is our intention to find a new role for Shareef with the organization as he begins the next phase of his professional life.”
Abdur-Rahim enjoyed 12 seasons in the NBA with four different teams (Vancouver 1996-97 to 2000-01, Atlanta 2001-02 to 2003-04, Portland 2003-04 to 2004-05 and Sacramento 2005-06 to 2007-08), amassing career averages of 18.1 points (.452 FGs, .297 3FGs, .810 FTs), 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game through 830 outings. His most productive season, statistically, occurred during the 1998-99 campaign in Vancouver when he averaged 23.0 points (.432 FGs, .306 3FGs, .841 FTs), 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game through 50 contests (NBA Lockout season). The following season (1999-00), Abdur-Rahim averaged double figures in both points (20.3) and rebounds (10.1) per game, in which he played in all 82 contests for the Grizzlies.
“I’ve been in a situation where I’ve been trying to get healthy over the last year and a half,” explained Abdur-Rahim. “I came to grips with the fact that, health-wise, I won’t be able to get back to the condition and level that is needed to play in the NBA. My right knee has become arthritic over the years and is to the point where it won’t allow me do the things and play at the level in which I’m accustomed to playing. As tough as it is to come to grips with, it’s the reality.”
Abdur-Rahim was a member of the gold-medal winning United States Olympic team in 2000 while still with the Vancouver Grizzlies. He was selected to the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Team where he scored nine points in 21 minutes as a member of the Atlanta Hawks in 2002.
“Regarding my career, I’ve been really blessed and fortunate,” said Abdur-Rahim. “I’m thankful that I had basketball and was able to play in the NBA. There aren’t a lot of people who actually get to do what they grow up dreaming about doing. I’ve had that opportunity and I’m really thankful for that. I’m also thankful for the coaches, trainers, owners, front office people and friends I’ve made through my time in the NBA. It was a tough decision, but in no way am I bitter. I’m just really thankful and happy that I was given the opportunity to play in the NBA.”
On December 28, 2002, Abdur-Rahim became the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 10,000-point plateau when he scored 18 points at Washington at age 26, trailing only Kobe Bryant, Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with that distinction. He scored a career-high 50 points (including a career-high 21 field goals made) versus Detroit on November 23, 2001, becoming the first Hawks player to hit that mark since Dominique Wilkins poured in 52 points in 1991.
Selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis) as an undergraduate out of California with the third pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, Abdur-Rahim has a long-standing history of community service involvement. He was named by The Sporting News as the NBA’s Number 1 Good Guy for 2004 after funding the Reef House in Atlanta through his Atlanta-based Future Foundation with the purpose of assisting at-risk and underprivileged youth.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Charles F. Gardner) reports: Andrew Bogut is scheduled to return to Milwaukee from Australia this weekend, and the 7-foot center is expected to be ready for the opening of the Milwaukee Bucks’ training camp Sept. 30. Bogut suffered a badly sprained left ankle while competing for Australia against the U.S. during the Beijing Olympics, an injury suffered when he got tangled up with Team USA star Kobe Bryant. But a magnetic resonance imaging exam showed no serious damage, and Bogut has been rehabilitating the injury in his hometown of Melbourne for nearly a month.
The Washington Post (Paul Tenorio) reports: One day after having minor arthroscopic surgery to clean out debris in his surgically repaired left knee, Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas posted a 2,210-word blog entry yesterday in which he said he will likely return from the procedure between mid-December and early January — several weeks later than the early December return he originally set Wednesday morning. “I know time frames are dicey, but they said anywhere from mid December to January 1, I’ll be back by then at 100 percent,” Arenas posted in the entry. “I should be, if everything goes well. So that’s the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza present I’m hoping for.”
Utah Jazz forward Kyle Korver will participate in a fundraiser on September 19 in an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the longest kickball game ever played.
Early Tuesday (September 23) afternoon the Orlando Magic will reveal the new team uniforms.
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced forward Al Jefferson has suffered a mild sprain of the MCL (medial collateral ligament) in his right knee. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam taken yesterday at TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Bloomington, Minn. confirmed the injury. Jefferson is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks and is expected to be ready by the start of the regular season.
On Friday, September 19, the Boston Celtics will travel to Washington D.C. to meet with President George W. Bush and receive recognition for winning the 2008 NBA World Championship. Celtics players will be accompanied by coaches, ownership, and members of the front office for the event. Head Coach Doc Rivers, Executive Director of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ainge, as well as Team Co-Owners Irving Grousbeck, Wycliffe Grousbeck, Steve Pagliuca and Bob Epstein are expected to be in attendance.