Tiago Splitter Announces Retirement After 7-Year NBA Career
Big man Tiago Splitter is officially calling it quits on his NBA career.
He posted a Twitter message Monday saying he is retiring following seven seasons in the Association:
According to ESPN.com, Splitter dealt with a chronic hip injury over the last two years. He played for the San Antonio Spurs for the first five seasons of his career, capturing the NBA title in 2014, and laced it up for the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers in his final two seasons.
"It's a decision I've made over the last few months," Splitter said of his retirement on the Brazilian network SporTV, via ESPN.com. "It's not something I want, but the hip injury I'm having is more troublesome than we thought it would be. I've been talking to my family, my wife, everyone, and it's really time to hang out."
The ESPN.com report noted Splitter, 33, mentioned he discussed the possibility of taking a job with the Spurs with head coach Gregg Popovich during the same interview.
It would be fitting if he returned to San Antonio considering that's where he played the best basketball of his career. The Spurs selected him in the first round of the 2007 draft, and he averaged 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game there while helping lead the team to a title as part of the frontcourt rotation.
However, San Antonio traded him to Atlanta—where he played just 36 games—and the Hawks then traded him to Philadelphia—where he played just eight games.
