Shaun Livingston announces retirement from NBA

Former Oklahoma City guard, Shaun Livingston, announced his retirement from the NBA Friday.

In a post on his Instagram, the 15-year NBA veteran said that he was “excited, sad, fortunate and grateful all in one breath”.

View this post on Instagram

After 15 years in the NBA, I’m excited, sad, fortunate and grateful all in one breath. Hard to put into a caption all of the emotions it takes to try and accomplish your dreams. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Anybody that has beat the odds understands the mental and emotional strain it takes to inspire yourself on an uphill war, let alone inspire others. “The injury” gave me a chance to find and prove to myself (and the world) that I wouldn’t be defined by my circumstances. With my time in the League what I will be most proud of is the fact that my character, values and faith were tested, and I persevered. To my pops that told me to “go get the big ball” I THANK YOU. To my Grandpa that always showed me there was more to life than basketball I THANK YOU. To my Uncles that helped raise me like I was one of their own, THANK YOU. To my wife and kids…the future IS BRIGHTER than our past, and I couldn’t see myself taking on this chapter without you. To all of my teammates, coaches, TRAINERS, staff, my journey is a collection of experiences, and those of you that helped me along the way, THANK YOU! To all the fans and anybody else that inspired me, supported me, cheered for me, or even said good words about me, THANK YOU. “The greatest gift we can give is service to others” #Raiseaglass 🍷

A post shared by Shaun Livingston (@sdot1414) on Sep 13, 2019 at 8:30am PDT

Livingston played for the Thunder during the 2008-09 season after being signed from the Tulsa ‘66ers. As a backup guard, he appeared in eight games, averaging 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

The former No. 4 overall pick in 2004, Livingston suffered a gruesome knee injury in 2007 that nearly cost him his left leg as well as his career. He missed an entire season while rehabilitating three torn ligaments and a dislocated patella. When he returned, he was let go by six teams and traded by three others. Livingston did play on the same team in consecutive seasons for more than eight years.

Livingston finally found a home in Golden State in 2014 as a key role player, helping the Warriors to win three NBA Championships.