Coach Doc Rivers hinted at it last Thursday night, in the wake of the Celtics' NBA Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and now it's official. Rasheed Wallace is retiring after 15 seasons in the NBA.
The 35-year-old Wallace signed a three-year, $18.9 million contract last summer to remain in Boston through 2012, but NBA.com's David Aldridge has learned that Wallace will leave $12 million on the table and walk away rather than play out his final two seasons with the Celtics.
Wallace finishes his career as a four-time NBA All-Star and a one-time champion (in 2004, with the Detroit Pistons). He averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over the course of his career, which included stints in Washington, Portland, Atlanta, Detroit and finally Boston.
Wallace started at center for the Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals a week ago, which turned out to be the final game of his professional career. He played over 35 minutes and finished with 11 points and eight rebounds in the Celtics 83-79 loss.
