NBA Star Shaun Livingston Announces His Retirement After 15 Seasons – “I’m Excited, Sad, Fortunate & Grateful All In 1 Breath”

NBA Star Shaun Livingston Announces His Retirement After 15 Seasons – “I’m Excited, Sad, Fortunate & Grateful All In 1 Breath”

NBA veteran, Shaun Livingston took to social media on Friday (Sept. 13th) to announce his retirement after his 15th season. The 3-time NBA champion begins his emotional message on his decision to hang-up his Warrior jersey, adding how he overcame “The Injury” early on in his professional career. Livingston says,

“After 15 years in the NBA, I’m excited, sad, fortunate and grateful all in one breath. Hard to put into a caption all of the emotions it takes to try and accomplish your dreams. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Anybody that has beat the odds understands the mental and emotional strain it takes to inspire yourself on an uphill war, let alone inspire others. “The injury” gave me a chance to find and prove to myself (and the world) that I wouldn’t be defined by my circumstances. With my time in the League what I will be most proud of is the fact that my character, values and faith were tested, and I persevered.”

He continues, shouting out those closes to him who helped him along his journey,

“To my pops that told me to “go get the big ball” I THANK YOU. To my Grandpa that always showed me there was more to life than basketball I THANK YOU. To my Uncles that helped raise me like I was one of their own, THANK YOU. To my wife and kids…the future IS BRIGHTER than our past, and I couldn’t see myself taking on this chapter without you. To all of my teammates, coaches, TRAINERS, staff, my journey is a collection of experiences, and those of you that helped me along the way, THANK YOU! To all the fans and anybody else that inspired me, supported me, cheered for me, or even said good words about me, THANK YOU. “The greatest gift we can give is service to others”

In a statement, Warriors general manager, Bob Myers touched on Livingston’s impact on the team,

“Shaun Livingston’s story is one of the most inspirational in the history of professional sports. What he accomplished after suffering so many trials and tribulations early in his career is a true testament to who he is as a person, which has always been characterized by tremendous class, grace and professionalism. He represents everything that you’d want in a professional athlete and, most importantly, in a human being. We appreciate what he did for our team and organization over the last five years, becoming a three-time NBA champion and a key figure on one of the best teams in NBA history. We wish him well as he begins the next phase in his life.”

After making his retirement announcement, several former teammates and fellow NBA players took to Livingston’s comments to congratulate him on a successful NBA career. From Los Angeles Lakers‘ Javel McGee, DeMarcus Cousins, retired player Steve Nash, and J.R. Smith all gave the former Warrior a salute to his retirement. Former Warriors teammate, Klay Thompson wrote,

“Cheat code! The definition of a warrior, thank you for being the best leader and teammate. Enjoy retirement my guy.”