Fifteen NBA seasons, seven teams, 32,516 minutes played, and finally — on the eve of his 36th birthday — Cleveland Cavaliers veteran forward Richard Jefferson is an NBA champion.
Now, with a ring on his finger and a Larry O'Brien Trophy on his resume, the Cavs' eldest player is hanging it up for good.
"I am retiring. I am retiring," Jefferson said in a postgame interview with Fox Sports Ohio.
Short and sweet — that was it. He spent the rest of the interview jubilantly praising his Cavaliers teammates for continuing to fight to become the first team in Finals history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
Jefferson was drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. He spent the first seven years of his career on the New Jersey Nets. He then hopped around to the Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, and ultimately, what would end up being his final destination, the Cavaliers.
He ends his career with per-game averages of 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
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