Longtime NBA forward/center That Gibson ended his career as a player, he announced on social networks (Link to Twitter).
“Today is a very emotional day for me,” Gibson wrote.After 17 seasons in the NBA, I can honestly say that I gave this game everything I had.
“Basketball gave me the opportunity to realize my dream. As a kid from Brooklyn, New York, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to showcase my talent on the biggest stage. From the Fort Greene Projects to USC, to the Chicago Bulls and every team and city that came after, I am grateful for every moment, every teammate, every coach and every person who believed in me.
“I wanted to be someone my teammates could count on, someone who brought grit, energy, leadership and heart every time I stepped on the court. Thank you to my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, my agent, the NBA, the NBA and the fans. You have all been a part of this journey. But this is not goodbye to basketball. This is the beginning of a new chapter.
“After 31 years of basketball, I can walk away with no regrets, knowing that I left everything on the floor. God has truly blessed me. Thank you basketball ❤️🩹»
Gibson, 41, finished last season with Memphis and was recently traded to — and refused by — New Orleans.
As Gibson hinted in his statement, he will move into coaching after agreeing to join Tiago Splitter‘s staff in Chicago as an assistant coach with Bykovper Shams Charania of ESPN and Michael Scott of HoopsHype (Twitter references). Ian Begley of SNY.tv was the first to report (via Twitter) that the Bulls were “strongly interested” in hiring Gibson should he retire as a player.
The 26th overall pick in the 2009 draft after three seasons in college at USC, Gibson was the Bulls’ key backup for the first seven and a half years of his career before being traded to Oklahoma City in February 2017. He signed a contract with Timberwolves in the 2017 offseason and spent a couple of productive years in Minnesota before signing with Nix in 2019.
Gibson has largely been a veteran on the bench for the past few years, but has long been praised for his professionalism and toughness. He also played for Washington, Detroit and Charlotte at the end of his career.
In 1,012 regular season games, including 462 starts, the 6’9″ big man averaged 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game. Gibson had a 51.7% field goal percentage and made 71.3% of his career free throws.
