Former Knicks Forward Announces Retirement

One of the nuggets of the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony trade is stepping away from basketball.

Former Knicks forward Anthony Randolph announced his retirement on Friday, ending a professional basketball career that featured six NBA seasons, including 17 games in Manhattan. In addition to the Knicks, Randolph also played with the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets before embarking on a decorated international career.

“After 15 incredible years, I’m officially stepping away from basketball,” Randolph said in an official statement, via Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “It’s been a journey filled with unforgettable moments-multiple championships, a historic run, and memories that will last a lifetime. I’m truly grateful to the coaches, trainers, staff, and teammates who supported me along the way.”

Randolph entered the professional realm in 2008, when he was a first-round pick of Golden State’s (No. 14 overall) out of Louisiana State University. He was sent from Oakland to Manhattan in a deal headlined by a sign-and-trade for David Lee in July 2010 to begin his brief metropolitan tour.

The German-born center/forward averaged 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 points in just under eight minutes a game. His most notable output came in a November 2010 tilt against Milwaukee, where he fell just short of a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. Randolph was then sent to the Timberwolves in the famous multi-pronged deal that sent Anthony home to New York City and he’d later, ironically enough, play for Anthony’s original employers in the Rockies after that.

Though Randolph, chosen before fellow first-rounders Roy Hibbert, JaVale McGee and Serge Ibaka, never lived up to his first-round billing in the NBA, he became a star on the international level, notably spending the last seven years with Spanish club Real Madrid, earning five Spanish Supercup titles. He also led Russia’s VTB United League in blocks, three years after current Washington Wizards star Jonas Valančiūnas did so.

“Thank you to the fans who made every game special and believed in us through it all,” Randolph’s statement continued. “Basketball has given me more than I could have ever dreamed, shaping me both as a player and as a person. While this chapter comes to a close, I’m excited for what lies ahead and the new opportunities to continue growing and giving back.”

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