JJ Redick, who was The Associated Press Player of the Year at Duke University before embarking on a 15-year NBA journey, announced his retirement Tuesday morning on social media.
“As a 7-year-old boy, I dreamed of playing at Duke as I got older. I dreamed of playing in the NBA,” Redick said on his “The Old Man and the Three” podcast. “The last 30 years of basketball have been beyond my wildest dreams. I never could have imagined that I would have played basketball for this long. After years of youth leagues, AAU, high school basketball, four years at Duke and 15 years in the NBA, I’m retiring from the game that I love so much.”
Reddick, who is 37 years of age, has played for six NBA organizations; Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks.
Redick is Duke’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,769 points in his collegiate career. He still remains the university’s all-time leader in 3-point shooting by a significant margin with 457 and free throw percentage at 91.2%. Redick also holds the record for averaging most points per game at 26.8. He was a two-time ACC player of the year and going into his final year at Duke, winning the AP Player of the Year honor. He was drafted with the No. 11 overall pick, by the Orlando Magic in 2006.
Redick started his career ‘low man on the totem pole’ as a seldom-used reserve. When the 3-point shot became popular around the NBA and he became a better on-ball and team defender, his minutes skyrocketed. By his fifth season in the league, he was averaging double figures.
Redick made the playoffs for the first thirteen years of his career. He got to the NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic in 2009, where they would lose to the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a career-high 40 points in a game for the Clippers in an overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on January 18, 2016.
Redick was a key contributor to both the Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers, shooting a league best 47.5% from 3-point range in 2015-16 for the Clippers. He averaged a career high 18.1 points per game in 2018-19 with the 76ers.
As Redick’s children grew up, he looked for a forever home for himself and his family. Redick and his spouse purchased a home in the Brooklyn area. Redick often traveled between Philadelphia and Brooklyn late in his career. He spent the past two seasons with New Orleans and Dallas and had hoped to sign with a team closer to home – either the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks or the 76ers.
Last season was a difficult one for Redick. Due to injuries, he could only appear in 44 games for the Pelicans and Mavericks. He shot only 37% from distance, the second-lowest average of his career and averaged only 7.4 points per game. It was the first time he did not score in double figures in more than ten years.
“It was difficult for a number of reasons,” Redick said. “Being injured, being away from my family, COVID protocols and really, truly not playing up to my standards. I would like to describe last season as a seven-month exercise in coming face-to-face with my own athletic mortality, and it was scary and confusing.”
There were teams still interested in Redick’s services. He let them know that he would wait before making his final decision. With training camp looming in the coming days around the NBA, he has made his choice.
“I have some clarity now and I know it’s time,” Redick said. “It’s time for me to be a dad. It’s time for me to reflect, pause, and it’s time for me to get ready for the next phase of my life.”
