Andrew Bogut on an NBA championship in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors. During the 2016 Finals, his oft-forgotten injury was one of the critical changes that caused the Warriors to blow a 3-1 lead to Cleveland. A couple of years later, Bogut returned to his native Australia and played for Sydney, where he was named league MVP.
Bogut has announced his retirement from basketball, something he did on his Rogues Bogues podcast Tuesday.
“The decision that I made and where I will be signing for next season is absolutely nowhere,” Bogut said. “I will be retiring from professional basketball, effective immediately.
“We are in late November now. I would have made this decision earlier if it wasn’t for the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. I was hoping to get to the 2020 Olympics and call it the day after that as it would have been a great accolade to get a fourth Olympics, but it’s just not meant to be.”
Bogut said getting his body ready through a series of injuries (including off-season ankle surgery) led him to decide to hang up his sneakers now rather than hang on for another season.
“The body from 2018 onwards was hanging by a thread,” Bogut said on his podcast. “In the 2019-20 season, that thread was completely frayed and in little pieces.”
A leader. A champion. A Warrior through and through.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 30, 2020
Thank you for the countless memories, @andrewbogut. Enjoy retirement 💙 pic.twitter.com/LvAUY1B6IE
We're extremely honoured to have had Bogues for two seasons, in what will go down as one of THE GREAT Australian basketball careers.
— NBL (@NBL) November 30, 2020
Congrats on a stellar career, @andrewbogut 👏#ThanksBogues pic.twitter.com/7scKel4oAI
Bogut was the No. 1 pick out of Utah in 2005 and went on to battle through injuries and play 14 NBA seasons, mostly with Milwaukee and Golden State (he was with the Lakers and Mavericks as well). He was a defensive anchor — 2015 All-Defensive Team — and had a soft touch from the outside on his shot, plus he was a gifted passer as a big man. He made the 2010 All-NBA team and, of course, picked up a ring with Stephen Curry and the Warriors in 2015. For his career, he averaged 9.6 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.
Bogut will go down as one of the greatest Australians ever to play the game.