Former Magic Wing Retires After 10 NBA Seasons; What's Next?

Jodie Meeks played for the Magic from 2016-17.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 5, 2022

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - NBA veteran Jodie Meeks, who played part of his career with the Orlando Magic, is officially in retirement.

Meeks, 35, hasn't played in the NBA since 2019, but tried to make a comeback in the G League with Raptors 905 this past season.

In an interview with USA Basketball, Meeks explained his reasons for hanging up his sneakers now.

“I’m young, but in basketball, I’m a little older,” Meeks said. “I’m no spring chicken anymore. But that’s OK. I can still move, I still feel like I can still play. And obviously I’m out here doing well. So for my career, it’s definitely been a good one and this will be the icing on the cake.”

The icing on the cake? Meeks is currently representing the United States at FIBA AmeriCup 2022 in Recife, Brazil. Several NBA players are on the team alongside Meeks, including former Miami Heat point guard Norris Cole and three-time champion Patrick McCaw.

But after the team is done in Brazil, Meeks has another opportunity lined up. Meeks will serve as an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron, the New Orleans Pelicans' G League affiliate.

During his career, Meeks averaged 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 37.1% shooting from the three-point range in 539 regular season games. He played 36 of those games with the Magic during the 2016-17 season, averaging 9.1 points per game.

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Published Sep 5, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.