J-Speaks: NBA Vet of 15 Seasons Announces His Retirement

There are very few players that can say in their careers that they had three different acts and had a major impact in all three. That was what the No. 18 overall pick in the epic 2003 NBA Draft had. He was a star with the first team he played for in the “Big Easy.” Was an integral part of the rise of boys from the “Hoosier State;” Became a solid role player in both the “Alamo City” and in the “Bay Area,” where he helped them win back-to-back titles. Along the way he earned a high level of respect from his teammates, coaches, front offices, and the media for the level of professionalism he brought to the table each night he took the court. On Thursday, this solid player announced his retirement via social media. 

Two-time All-Star forward David West, who helped the defending champion Golden State Warriors win their second straight title back in June announced his retirement on Thursday on Twitter. 

The 38-year-old, who spent 15 seasons in “The Association” said on Instagram @readwest30, “We are but a collection of our experiences. 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. Cheers!” 

The No. 18 overall pick in the 2003 draft by the then New Orleans Hornets out of Xavier University, now the Pelicans played also for the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and finally the aforementioned Warriors averaged 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in his 15 seasons, which consisted of 1,034 regular season games and 118 career playoff games. 

The 6’9” forward who averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 boards this past season with the Warriors became just the 127^th player to player 1,000 regular-season games in the team’s 124-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 8, 2018.

“David was a consummate professional throughout his entire career and was a huge presence in our locker room the last two years,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Thursday. “The respect that he commanded was palpable every single day he walked in the door, and the leadership that he provided to our team was critical to our success.” 

“The consistency that he displayed at a high level on the court for 15 years was amazing and a testament to his hard work and dedication. He is a true champion in every sense of the word.”

To put the amazing career of West into context, he is No. 5 in career points amongst the 2003 draft class with 14,034. In first is four-time league MVP, three-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer LeBron James at 31,038 and counting, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent this off-season. In second is 10-time All-Star and newest Houston Rockets’ forward Carmelo Anthony at 25,417 and counting. In third and fourth place respectably is perennial All-Star and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade at 22,082 and two-time NBA champ Chris Bosh at 17,189. 

“Four Hall of Famers and David West, I absolutely believe he’s fit,” ESPN NBA Insider Nick Friedell said of West having a chance of being a Hall of Famer down the road. “In for what he’s been able to accomplish in all these acts and continue to carry himself the same way, it’s a lot of credit to the professionalism he’s had throughout his career.”

After a quiet start to his career with the then Hornets, West shined in his third season with averages of 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds on 51.2 percent shooting in 74 games. His two best seasons of his eight in the “Big Easy” came in 2007-08 and 2008-09 where he averaged 20.6 points and 8.9 boards, followed by a career-high 21.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. Both seasons he made as mentioned the All-Star team playing alongside then teammate and nine-time All-Star selection Chris Paul, now with the Houston Rockets. 

Paul said later that season he would not play with any other power forward in the entire league other than West because as he put it, “he’s not in it for the spotlight, all he cares about is getting buckets [scoring].” 

West echoed those same sentiments during the 2008 playoffs, where the 56-win Hornets lost in Game 7 of the Semifinals to the Spurs saying in an interview that he does not mind being overlooked and would rather, “play and be as effective as possible” when he is on the hardwood. 

After opting out of the final year of his contract, West signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Indiana Pacers. 

While he was not the same player in terms of his offensive output with the Hornets, he was a major factor in elevating the Pacers, who had All-Stars Paul George, who resigned with the Oklahoma City Thunder during this off-season and Roy Hibbert; Lances Stephenson, now with the Lakers and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard George Hill into a championship title contender. 

He became the emotional leader of the Pacers to where the opposition did not mess with on the court and when he talked to his teammates they always listen to his words and took them to heart. 

Unfortunately, like so many other teams in the East, they could not shake James, Wade, Bosh, and the Miami Heat falling in six, seven and six games in the 2012 East Semifinals and the 2013 and 2014 Eastern Conference Finals respectably. 

In his third act, West in July 2015 signed with the five-time champion Spurs where he became as ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst put it the veteran head off the bench. 

The Spurs that season though fell short of goal of winning a championship as they fell to the Thunder in the West Semis in six games. 

On July 9, 2016 West signed another one-year deal with the Warriors and emerged as a key player off the bench helping the Warriors to the first of back-to-back titles taking down the Cavaliers 4-1 in the 2017 NBA Finals. Their 16-1 run in the postseason was the best ever winning percentage in league history. 

West re-signed with the Warriors on July 25, 2017 on another one-year deal, with the expectation that this past season was going to be his last. 

West said after playing in as mentioned the 1,000 game of his career that he would consider re-signing for the upcoming 2018-19 campaign noting, “It all depends on how my body feels. Right now, I feel good.” 

After the Warriors swept the Cavs 4-0 in the 2018 Finals, West made the decision on Thursday that it was time to retire. 

“There should be a picture in the dictionary of David under, ‘pro’s pro,’” Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers said. “…We are all better for having spent the last two years with him. There is no doubt the best is ahead for him.” “He is one of the most decent people I have ever met.” 

Back in 2003, the then New Orleans Hornets drafted a relatively unknown three-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and three-time Atlantic 10 First-Team selection. That player would have a career where he was a star player first with the Hornets, then became a leader with the emerging Pacers and then solid veteran role player off the bench with the Spurs and Warriors. 

More than anything David West was a prime example of a player later in his career who took less money and a lesser role on the last two teams he played for to win the one thing missing from his career resume a title. He filled that void with not just one, but two rings with the Warriors. 

West was the guy on every team he played on that his teammates as Friedell put it, “That’s our leader and that’s our heartbeat in a lot of ways.” “That guy was at the forefront of what any team needed to do.” 

As far as what will happen next career wise, West as many said has his pick of the litter. He could be a coach, work in the corporate world, work in an NBA front office. He has expressed interest in teaching. He could even run for local, state, or federal office. 

“I don’t feel like this is the pinnacle of my existence,” West said back at the beginning of the new year. “I’ve been fortunate to have a good professional basketball career, but I’ll be under 40 years old when this is all said and done with, and I hopefully got another 40-plus years of life left. That’s another opportunity to ascend to another realm and be great at something else. That’s sort of how I look at life.” 

“I don’t look at this as this is it for me, and, I think for a lot of people, that’s their mindset. I’ve invested in myself, meaning I can move into many different fields and have an understanding of many difficult fields.” 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 8/30/18 3 p.m. edition of “NBA: The Jump,” with Cassidy Hubbarth, Brian Windhorst, and Nick Friedell; 8/30/18 www.nba.com article, “Veteran Forward David West Announces His Retirement From NBA;” 8/30/18 www.espn.com article, “Warriors’ David West Retires After 15 Seasons in NBA;” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_West_(basketball);  https://en.m.wikiepdia.org/wiki/Chris_Paul; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_Orleans_Pelicans_seasons; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indiana_Pacers_seasons.