After missing most of the 2012-2013 season with a stress fracture in his right foot, Rasheed Wallace has decided to retire from professional basketball.
According to ESPN.com, the New York Knicks made the announcement on Wednesday that Wallace would retire from the NBA for a second time after returning from his first retirement this season.
“Rasheed has given this team everything he had,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said in a statement. “He is a winner, true professional and leader on and off the court. Due to his injury, he will not be available to play for us during the playoffs.”
Wallace appeared in just 21 games this season for the Knicks and played his last game on Monday against the Bobcats. He had to leave after just four minutes of play after feeling soreness again in his right foot.
Wallace played 15 seasons in the NBA, spending time with Washington, Portland, Detroit, Boston and New York. He won an NBA championship in 2004 with the Pistons and was a four-time All-Star selection. However, he might be best known as the league’s all-time leader in technical fouls, with 304.
He may have not been very popular with officials, but his passion for the game and his ability to hit big-time perimeter shots made him popular with fans wherever he went. He finishes his career with averages of 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.