Former NBA Champion Retires at Age 30

To the average fan, it seems like he'd be much older, but with a plethora of injury troubles having marred his career for the past six of his 11 years in the NBA, 30-year-old Otto Porter Jr. has decided to hang up the sneakers.

Otto Porter Jr. has announced his retirement:

"For the past 11 years, I had the chance to live my lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. That dream was capped by winning an NBA Championship! Unfortunately, my body is not allowing me to play at the level that I expect of myself,… pic.twitter.com/qlIdyvhsSp

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 12, 2024

"For the past 11 years," writes Porter in his retirement announcement, "I had the chance to live my lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. That dream was capped by winning an NBA Championship! Unfortunately, my body is not allowing me to play at the level that I expect of myself, and I have therefore decided to retire.” 

Porter got his championship ring as a player for the Golden State Warriors in their 2022 run to the NBA title. He then signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Toronto Raptors in free agency that summer, but has only been able to play a total of 23 games in that span due to another myriad assortment of injuries. 

Porter Jr. was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. He improved his scoring and rebounding numbers in each of his first five years in DC. He then moved on to an assortment of teams over the past several years, managing to stay mostly healthy in just one of those seasons, 2021-22, and the timing was excellent, as he provided just the type of scoring and rebounding off the bench that the Warriors needed to help them win the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

In 527 NBA games, Porter shot a terrific 39.7% from three-point range, averaging 10.3 points per game and 4.9 rebounds.

Best of luck in retirement to the champ. 

Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports