Two-time All-Star David West, whose career-long pursuit of a championship led him to back-to-back NBA titles as a veteran leader on the Golden State Warriors, has retired a day after his 38th birthday.
West announced his retirement on Twitter:
— David West (@D_West30) August 30, 2018
“We are but a collection of our experiences,” he wrote. “I have been fortunate enough to live out my childhood dream of playing in the NBA. After 15 seasons I have decided to retire from the game of basketball. I am humbled and thankful for the support of my family, friends, coaches, teammates, organizations and fans throughout this experience. To anyone who has ever cheered me on, been in my corner, prayed or simply said a nice word on my behalf, I am grateful. Belief in yourself is non-negotiable.”
West averaged 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 15 seasons for the Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Hornets, who selected him with the 18th pick in the 2003 draft.
David West’s career path was one to glory
A double-double machine at Xavier, where he captured college player of the year honors as a senior, West slipped in the draft due to his age (23 years old) and size (a 6-foot-9 old-school power forward). But after two seasons coming off the bench in New Orleans, he began producing the same numbers in the NBA. West averaged 19.2 points and eight rebounds over his final six seasons for the Hornets, earning a pair of trips to the All-Star Game and three playoff appearances alongside Chris Paul.
Having earned a reputation as one of the league’s toughest players, West was highly coveted when he hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in 2011, ultimately picking the Pacers over the perennially contending Boston Celtics. West led the upstart Pacers to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals appearances in 2013 and 2014, averaging 14 points and seven boards over four seasons in Indiana.
By then one of the NBA’s most respected veterans, West famously declined a $12.6 million player option with the Pacers in favor of joining the Spurs on a veteran minimum contract in pursuit of a title in 2015. His 67-win San Antonio team lost in the second round that season, and West then left to join Kevin Durant on the 73-win Warriors that had just blown a 3-1 Finals lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A mainstay in Golden State’s rotation, the aging West averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and a pair of assists off the bench over the past two seasons. His brand of old-school basketball wasn’t always a perfect fit for the pace-and-space Warriors, but his real value for the back-to-back champs was the toughness and veteran leadership he brought to shepherd Draymond Green and other young stars.
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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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