After 12 years in the NBA, Sacramento Kings power forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim is retiring.
For the last year-and-a-half, Rahim was attempting to recover from two arthroscopic knee surgeries, but it was too much for his 31-year-old body to handle.
Rahim averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists throughout his career. His career totals are 15,028 points and 6,239 rebounds.
He played for Vancouver, Portland, Atlanta, and Sacramento—which partially describes why he only reached the playoffs once. He was selected with the third overall pick in the 1996 draft by the Grizzlies.
Rahim also played for the US Men's basketball team in the 2000 Olympics.
Although the Kings will need to pay Rahim his salary this coming season, part of his $29 million contract might be removed from the team's payroll in 2009-2010, saving the Kings $6.6 million.
Essentially, this could be a very good thing for the Kings, as they are currently in a rebuilding phase. The removal of Rahim's contract could provide even more room for the Kings to spend.
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As of now, the Kings only have $52,196,715 on the books for the 2009-2010 season, so Rahim's contract would take another $6.6 million from that total. In 2010-2011, the Kings only have $23,563,005 on the books.
The Sacramento Kings will be big spenders in the summer of 2010, a year that will offer a number of free agents to choose from.
Over a phone interview with Sacramento Bee sports writer Sam Amick, Rahim exclaimed that "for me, there will always be a part that's stuck in a state of nostalgia, always hoping I could be young and playing and running up and down the court..." but "it was progressively getting worse, and I couldn't do the things you have to do to play in the NBA. Mentally, I could still do it and still see myself doing it, but physically I couldn't do it anymore."
Sam Amick also reported that Rahim was playing in his "prime" when the Kings signed him in 2005. New Jersey was the first to attempt to sign him but declined after a team doctor detected floating particles in his knee area.
In fact, the only reason the Kings signed him was because New Jersey reneged on their side of the bargain after their team physicians determined his knees were bad.
After thanking him for his service to the Kings and for being a good citizen in Sacramento, General Manager Geoff Petrie exclaimed "It is our intention to find a new role for Shareef with the organization as he begins the next phase of his professional life."
It just so happen that the Kings have been shopping for a big man coach. Looks like they may have found him.
A short video remix of Rahim's career can be viewed in the following link:
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2 months ago
Shareef made only one playoff apperance with the Kings because he was supposed to replace Webber but his knees did not let him. And it did hurt the Kings who were winner at the time. But he was a professional and leader in the community and will be missed for it.
2 months ago
He is one of the most underated players ever. He never got enough credit because he played for the grizzlies for most of his career in his prime. He was unlucky to be sent to Vancouver to waste his talent.
2 months ago
yo i swear i posted an article just like this yesterday!
from 2 months ago
Yo...so did 500 other people. Go look at google.
from 2 months ago
Funny, there's no article on your page...
2 months ago
oh well shawn i went on my front page and it said it got deleted. I guess it wasn't interesting enough
2 months ago
oh...that's horrible. can folks get on here and delete your articles?
about 1 month ago
I dont know but anyway good article its unfortunate that shareef's career got ended by injuries because they said he was a good guy on and off the court
about 1 month ago
Oh Well. Hopefully he'll become a big man coach
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