Australian NBA star Andrew Bogut announces retirement

Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut has decided to draw curtains on his 15-year-old professional basketball career and with it, he has brought an end to his bid for an Olympic medal as well.

The 36-year-old had been suffering a lot of back and ankle injuries of late. The COVID-19 pandemic on top of that and the consequent postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has now led to his decision, which he announced on Tuesday.

Bogut was a 2005 No.1 draft pick by Milwaukee and also won the NBA Championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

“I just can’t physically and mentally get to 2021 with the way the body has been,” Bogut said on his “Rogue Bogues” podcast. “I mean, I could, on a lot of painkillers and with a lot of physical and mental anguish, but it’s just not worth it at this point in my career.”

In the last two seasons, Bogut played for Sydney in the National Basketball League. He won the MVP in 2019 and led the Kings to the Grand Final last season as well.

“The last two years have been a real challenge for me just to get out of bed in the morning some days, let alone go to a training session or a game,” Bogut said. “The body, probably from 2018 onwards, was hanging by a thread.

“It was real challenging and from the 2019-20 season that thread was completely frayed and in little pieces. It was real frustrating for me.”

Bogut played a pivotal role in Australia’s fourth-place finish in the last World Cup in China as well. He has also played in three Olympics — Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The Australian Olympic Committee paid tribute to Bogut as well.

“Andrew was so much more than a big man, he had an aura about him,” said John Coates, the leader of the AOC and a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee.

“He was an inspirational figure for the Australian Olympic team and a leader on and off the court.

“This is not just a loss for basketball in Australia but a loss for the Australian Olympic movement. I know it must have been a difficult decision for him, but the great athletes know when it’s time.”