NBA forward Rudy Gay retires at age 38

Rudy Gay (YouTube)

According to Patrick Andres of Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, NBA forward Rudy Gay of Brooklyn, New York has announced his retirement at the age of 38. Gay played 17 NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz from 2006 to 2023.

In 1120 games, Gay averaged 15.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, two assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game. He had a field goal percentage of .452, three point percentage of .346, and a free throw percentage of .799.

One of Gay’s most notable accomplishments came in his rookie season in 2006-07. That season he was third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting behind Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Brandon Roy and Toronto Raptors center Andrea Bargnani of Rome, Italy. The NBA Rookie of the Year Award has since been renamed the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy. Gay was also on the NBA All-Rookie First Team alongside Roy, Bargnani, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Randy Foye of Newark, New Jersey, Raptors power forward Jorge Garbajosa of Madrid, Spain, and Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge of Dallas, Texas.

Gay was actually drafted in the first round, eighth overall, by the Houston Rockets in the 2006 NBA Draft. However, he never played for Houston, as two weeks after getting drafted, he was traded to the Grizzlies with power forward Stromlie Swift of Shreveport, Louisiana for small forward Shane Battier of Birmingham, Michigan.

At the collegiate level, Gay played for the University of Connecticut Huskies. While at UConn, he was the Big East Rookie of the Year in 2004-05, alongside current Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green of Cheverly, Maryland, who played for Georgetown at the time.

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