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11-Year NBA Veteran Announces Retirement

This NBA veteran has officially announced his retirement

Joey Linn

Apr 3, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) controls the ball while Oklahoma City Thunder center Mike Muscala (50) defends during the second half at TD Garden.
Apr 3, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) controls the ball while Oklahoma City Thunder center Mike Muscala (50) defends during the second half at TD Garden. / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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It was reported on Saturday morning by Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman that 11-year NBA veteran Mike Muscala is retiring.

"Veteran NBA big man Mike Muscala is retiring, he told The Oklahoman," Lorenzi wrote. "Per Muscala’s father, Bob, Mike intends to attend graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in sports management, with intentions to venture into basketball coaching and/or administration."

Muscala played 11 seasons in the NBA, spending five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, five seasons with the OKC Thunder, and brief stops with the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons.

While Muscala never played for the LA Clippers, he was traded there in 2019 before being flipped to the Lakers in a trade that sent Ivica Zubac across the hall. Since that trade, Zubac has played 390 games for the Clippers, which is 13th in franchise history.

This trade landed the Clippers their longtime starting center, and Muscala played just 17 total games for the Lakers. While he never suited up for the Clippers, Muscala is one of the more impactful players the franchise has used in a trade.

As previously mentioned, Muscala spent five seasons with the Thunder, appearing in 184 career games for OKC. Speaking with The Oklahoman, Muscala said of his time in OKC, "It means a lot. I went through a lot in my life when I was here, just the city, the fans, the way that they support the team, what the team means to the community, those are things that I feel like I can relate to. I'll always be a Thunder fan no matter what happens in my life."

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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