Former Blazers Forward Surprisingly Retires After 8 NBA Seasons

Matt Levine

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Former Portland Trail Blazers forward Rodney Hood has called it a career after playing eight seasons in the NBA. He spent three years with the Trail Blazers before the team traded him to the Toronto Raptors during the 2021 season.

ESPN NBA insider Dave McMenamin reported the news on social media.

“It was tough to retire,” Hood said within a longer statement detailing the various stages of his career. “But I’m at peace with it. I tried really hard to hold on. I had an Achilles tear and I was kind of a shell of myself. When I got a chance to get healthy again, I tried to play in the G League this past spring and got hurt again. It was just my body telling me that I needed to move on.”

“I always felt like after my playing career is when I will make my big mark with helping younger guys get to the next level,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that. I want to coach. “It reminds me of the famous Roosevelt speech, ‘The man in the arena.’ I was in the arena. I wasn’t the best player, but I got a chance to be around and play against some of the best players that ever played. I think that gives me an insight. And I’ve also been through the mud. I dealt with injuries. I went through trades. Sometimes I was the No. 2 option, sometimes I was the last guy off the bench. I’ve been through it all. I plan to use my experiences to pour into others and help a lot of guys coming up in the game in his next phase of my life.”

Hood was originally drafted in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. He spent multiple years in Utah before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Hood was thrust into a championship-contending team with LeBron James in Cleveland. The Cavaliers went to the NBA Finals during that season but fell to the Golden State Warriors in four games.

Despite this, Hood had his best overall season between the Jazz and Cleveland. He averaged 14.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Hood also shot 38 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

The veteran forward also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors throughout his career. After eight years, injuries took hold of his career but he still managed to have a successful tenure.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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