After 17 seasons in the NBA, Chauncey Billups is calling it quits.
The former Detroit Pistons star became an unrestricted free agent when Detroit declined his team option this offseason. Billups told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that he had “a couple of opportunities to play” this season, but ultimately, he chose retirement.
“It’s just time. I know when it’s time,” Billups said. “My mind and my desire is still strong. I just can’t ignore the fact that I haven’t been healthy for three years. I can try again and get to a point where I think I can go, but I just can’t sustain. Me not being able to play the way that I can play, that’s when you kind of know it’s that time.”
Billups was drafted No. 3 overall by the Boston Celtics in 1997. His career got off to a rocky start, as he had a tumultuous relationship with then-head coach Rick Pitino. But by 2002, Billups had picked himself back up and was enjoying success in Detroit. He was an NBA champion in 2004, was named the NBA Finals MVP and was a five-time All-Star.
Now, Billups hopes that his 15,802 career points, 5,636 assists, 1,830 3-pointers and 1,051 steals will be enough for the Hall of Fame.
“The Hall of Fame would be a big dream,” Billups said. “It marks you down as one of the greatest players ever. It’s not what I shot for, but that would absolutely be a dream. I know in my heart I had a Hall-of-Fame worthy career. If you look at most Hall-of-Famers, I don’t know how many of them started off the way I started off and made it to the top.
“I don’t know what will happen. I do feel I had a Hall-of-Fame career. But there have been a lot of Hall-of-Fame careers other than me.”
Photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
