Jason Richardson has decided to hang up his Nikes.
Richardson announced his retirement Wednesday night on his Instagram account, where he cited his health and desire to spend more time with his family for his decision to call it quits.
"Today is a bitter sweet moment for me," he wrote. "I'm officially announcing my retirement from pro basketball. I like to thank the organizations and fans in Charlotte, Phoenix, Orlando, Philly and especially The Bay Area for their loyal support the past 14 years. Walking away was the hardest decision I had to make but choosing my health and spending time with my family is more important to me! God bless!"
The 34-year-old shooting guard/small forward signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Atlanta Hawks last month and was expected to attend training camp next week. He told The Atlanta Journal-Constiution on Sept. 17 he wanted to retire on his "own terms," and six days later, his playing days are over.
Coming to the Sixers as part of the Andrew Bynum trade on Aug. 10, 2012, Richardson had trouble staying on the court because of a left knee injury. In his first season with the team, he suited up for 33 games and then missed the entire 2013-14 season after undergoing knee surgery. After a diligent rehab, he played his first game in over two years on Feb. 20 against Indiana.
In his first game after a 763-day absence, Richardson scored seven points in 18 minutes against the Pacers. He went on to play 19 games with the Sixers last season, averaging 9.1 points in 21.9 minutes. His best performance came during the Sixers' 123-118 loss at Oklahoma City, when he scored 29 points and went 4 of 9 from beyond the three-point line.
Richardson walks away from the NBA playing for five teams and just 42 games over three seasons in the Sixers' organization. He was at his best with the Golden State Warriors from 2001 to 2007, when he averaged 18.3 points and won the NBA slam dunk contest twice. He also played for Charlotte, Phoenix and Orlando.
NBA
Richardson averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and shot 37 percent from beyond the arc in his 13-year career.
Here is Richardson's Instagram post:
A photo posted by J-Rich (@richboyz23) on Sep 23, 2015 at 6:23pm PDT