JJ Redick Announces Retirement After 15 Seasons In NBA

JJ Redick, one of the greatest three-point shooters of all-time, is retiring from the NBA. 

Announcing his retirement in both an Instagram post and a new episode of his Old Man & the Three podcast, the 15-year NBA vet has ensured that last season was his final season and that he both gave and got everything he could to, and from, the game of basketball.

Redick, who, aside from Christian Laettner, is the greatest player in the history of the storied Duke University men's basketball program. And besides Laettner and *maybe* Grayson Allen, he one of the most hated college basketball figures of all-time. Playing at Duke from 2002-2006, Redick never brought a NCAA Championship back to Durham but accomplished nearly everything an individual in college basketball could, including third-team all-ACC honors in 2003, second-team all-ACC honors in 2004 and first-team all-ACC honors in both 2005 and 2006. Redick was a two-time ACC player of the year in 2005 and 2006, a two-time consensus first-team All-American, again in 2005 and 2006 and was a two-time Rupp Trophy (the former player of the year trophy) winner. And in 2006, after his senior season with the Blue Devils, Redick was the consensus National College Basketball Player of the Year. 

The sharpshooter was drafted 11th overall by the Orlando Magic and after an appearance in the 2009 NBA Finals, was traded to Milwaukee in 2013. Spending only a handful of months with the Bucks, Redick moved on to spend four seasons in Lob City alongside Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.

After the eventual crumbling of what was supposed to be a championship contender in LA, however, Redick signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and after that, another two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. 

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Unfortunately, Redick's time in New Orleans was cut short when he spoke out against Pelicans' management after the shooting guard felt his wishes and stature in the NBA were not properly respected. Redick was moved to Dallas where he did get on the court some, but is better remembered for letting the world know that Mavericks' star Luka Doncic still owes him money from on-flight card games. 

Redick, who holds the third-highest three-point percentage for shooters with at least 4,500 career attempts (behind Kyle Korver and Stephen Curry), leaves a legacy as one of the greatest shooters the game of basketball has ever seen and, dating back to his days in college, has been one of the most visible faces the NBA has had to offer. 

Redick, who is married and has two children, said on The Old Man & the Three, his self-produced and published podcast, that his retirement is simply the beginning of the next chapter of his life and, in a heartfelt Instagram post, wrote, "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." 

The Old Man & the Three podcast, a follow-up to Redick's shows on both Yahoo and The Ringer, features Redick and co-host Tomm Alter chopping it up with the best basketball players in the world on a weekly basis and after years podcasting, it's clear that Redick's future after playing basketball, will be talking basketball.

Here's to JJ Redick and the nearly-20 years of basketball entertainment he provided us. Whether you loved him or hated him because of those Blue Devil roots, he was a part of the college basketball and NBA story and has made it clear he's determined to move on to the next part of *his* story. 

What are your thoughts on JJ Redick's retirement? Were you a Redick fan or did those Duke years spoil it for you? Let us know in the comments.