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17-Year NBA Veteran, Ex-Grizzlies Star Announces Retirement

Former Memphis Grizzlies star Rudy Gay has retired from the NBA.

Joey Linn

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay (22) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay (22) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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17-year NBA veteran Rudy Gay is one of the best players to never make an All-Star team. An elite starting wing for most of his career, Gay had an incredible run with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

In his seven seasons in Memphis, Gay appeared in 479 games (443 starts), averaging 17.9 points per contest. The 6-foot-8 forward then had a brief stint with the Toronto Raptors where he averaged 19.5 points in 51 games before joining the Sacramento Kings for the next four seasons.

Gay then spent four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and two with the Utah Jazz to finish his NBA career. On Tuesday, it was announced by Shams Charania of ESPN that Gay is retiring from the NBA.

Via Charania: “After 17 NBA seasons, Rudy Gay is retiring. Gay, the No. 8 pick in the 2006 Draft out of UConn, averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds across 1,120 career games for the Grizzlies, Raptors, Kings, Spurs and Jazz.”

It was an incredible career for Gay, who was an integral part the early “Grit and Grind” Grizzlies teams alongside Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol.

Now 38 years old, Gay calls it an NBA career after getting a training camp opportunity with the Golden State Warriors last season that did not lead to a roster spot.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: 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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