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Report: Billups says he is retiring
Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.
All posts by Alan DraperUpdated5 hours ago on April 25, 2024
Guard Chauncey Billups, who was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP when he led the Detroit Pistons to a championship, told Yahoo Sports on Monday that he is retiring after 17 seasons.
Billups missed 169 games the last three years, and the Pistons declined the team option on his contract over the summer.
Billups, a five-time All-Star, said he had some options to play this season, but decided to call it quits.
“It’s just time. I know when it’s time,” Billups told Yahoo Sports. “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.
“It’s just time. I’m happy, excited. The game was very, very good to me. I felt like I was equally as good to the game the way I played it and the way I respected it and the way I carried myself through the process.”
Billups, the No. 3 overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Celtics, played for seven NBA teams. He finished with a career average of 15.8 points and 5.4 assists.
His best season was 2005-2006 with the Pistons, when he averaged 18.5 points and 8.6 assists.
In 2013-2014 he played in just 19 games for Detroit, averaging 3.8 points and 16.3 minutes per game.
