Name: Andrew Bogut retires from professional basketball
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Andrew Bogut retires from professional basketball

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'It's just not worth it': Bogut retires from professional basketballWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementAndrew Bogut admits the lure of having one last chance to win a first medal with the Australian Boomers almost stopped him retiring.But he knows he has made the right decision in exiting the sport before the Tokyo Olympics as he is no longer willing to deal with the pain and sacrifices needed to stay on court.Bogut, 36, revealed on Tuesday he would be retiring announcing it on his podcast Rogue Bogues.Bogut was a three-time Olympian and started at centre for the Golden State Warriors in their 2014-2015 championship team and their record-setting 73-9 [win-loss] team in 2015-2016.He played for 15 years in the NBA and has played the most games (783) of any Australian while earning just under $US119 million during his NBA years.He finished his career with two seasons with the Sydney Kings in the NBL."I was hoping to get to the 2020 Olympics and call it [retire] the day after that as it would have been a great accolade to get a fourth Olympics but it's just not meant to be," Bogut said on Rogue Bogues."I can't physically and mentally get to 2021 with the way my body has been."I could get there with a lot of painkillers and mental anguish but it's just not worth it.Advertisement"I'm really starting to value my health away from the court and my health when I'm 40, 45 and 50."Some people might say it's only six months of training but I'm at a point where I just can't do it."Bogut told SEN on Tuesday he knew he was done when he couldn’t push his son on the swings without pain.A chat with new Boomers coach Brian Goorjian had Bogut ''50-50'' about playing on."It really hit me when I was in the park trying to push one of my boys and it was hurting me - I thought then that it might be time," Bogut said.The Boomers still have depth at centre with Aron Baynes, Thon Maker, Jock Landale, Will Magnay still in the mix for Tokyo but no one can replace Bogut's passing, defence and leadership skills."I have and will always retain tremendous respect, admiration and appreciation for the value Andrew has delivered with consistency across two decades," Goorjian said."He is a revered and iconic Boomer and whilst he would have loved to joined the team in Tokyo his decision to step away is selfless in many ways."His body has taken a toll, he knows it and it validates his team-first mentality as a legendary Boomer."Bogut said he wouldn't make any wild decisions until the new year and would spend the next few weeks continuing his transition from professional athlete to regular life with his wife and their two pre-school-aged boys.He didn't rule out coaching or commentary roles but he has significant business interests along with some ''confidential'' projects."The only regret I have is not enjoying the moment more when I was in the bubble, in my prime as a pro athlete," Bogut said."It's still enjoyable, fun but it's your job and you take losses hard, you take getting traded hard. You take it hard as an athlete."At times, as professional athletes, we are selfish arseholes but you have to be as it's a dog-eat-dog world and you are always competing against someone else."There are endless amount of things you do and it can take a toll on your family. They take the brunt of the losses and the joy of the wins. Now I'm transitioning from being an athlete, one of the hardest things to understand is that it's not just going to be about you any more."Log in, or to save articles for later. is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He's been writing for The Age since 2010.Advertisement

'It's just not worth it': Bogut retires from professional basketballWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementAndrew Bogut admits the lure of having one last chance to win a first medal with the Australian Boomers almost stopped him retiring.But he knows he has made the right decision in exiting the sport before the Tokyo Olympics as he is no longer willing to deal with the pain and sacrifices needed...

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Andrew Bogut retires from professional basketball

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