JJ Redick, a 15-year veteran who has played for six teams, announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday on his podcast, The Old Man and the Three.
“I wanted to give myself some time to reflect and figure out if I wanted to keep playing,” Redick said. “It’s one of the reasons that I told teams that called during free agency that I would decide later on. I didn’t want to commit to anything until I was sure. Well, I have some clarity now and I know it’s time. It’s time for me to be a dad. It’s time for me to reflect, pause, and it’s time for me to get ready for the next phase of my life.”
Redick was drafted No. 11 overall by the Orlando Magic in 2006 after a decorated career at Duke in which he was the consensus national college player of the year in his senior season. Redick made his first and only trip to the NBA Finals as a member of the Magic but was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He would later play for the Lob City Los Angeles Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks. Those last two destinations caused a fair bit of strife for Redick, who called Pelicans general manager David Griffin dishonest for trading him to the Mavericks rather than buying him out and allowing him to sign with a team closer to his family in New York.
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Now, Redick can return to the East Coast as he transitions out of his playing career and presumably towards some sort of media career. Redick’s podcast has been very well received since he launched the initial version of it in 2016. He played with several superstars throughout his career, including Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic.
Redick retires as the 15th-leading 3-point shooter in NBA history having made 1,950 long-range attempts over the course of his career. He led the NBA by making 47.5 percent of his attempts in the 2015-16 season, and for his career, he made 41.5 percent of his looks. In an era in which the 3-point shot became significantly more prominent, Redick was one of the league’s best marksmen. That shot made him one of the most polarizing collegiate players in the country and, eventually, one of his era’s more underrated NBA players.
