Getty Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors directs his team against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Another key member of the Golden State Warriors‘ dynasty has officially retired.
Three-time NBA champion Shaun Livingston took to Instagram and Twitter on early Friday to announce his decision to retire. Livingston played 15 years in the league was the No. 4 overall selection in the 2004 NBA Draft, but he was best known for his five-season tenure with the Warriors from 2014 until 2019.
Shortly after Livingston’s announcement, his former head coach Steve Kerr took to Twitter to respond to his former player’s decision to retire.
Kerr’s tweet was in response to Livingston’s initial Instagram post which saw him state the following.
“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.”
Shaun Livingston Entered the NBA as a Top Prospect
Although Livingston entered the NBA with a lot of hype — he was the No. 1 point guard and the No. 2 prospect in the nation in 2004 — a devastating injury in 2007 that saw him injure almost every part of his knee sidelined his career. In fact, the injury was so bad that not only did Livingston have to learn how to walk again — doctors told him there was a chance that the leg would have to be amputated.
Not only did Livingston return two seasons later, he eventually carved out a role in the NBA as a role player. But it wasn’t until his five-season stint with the Warriors that he started getting recognized as a valuable contributor.
Shaun Livingston Was There When the Warriors Needed Him
The highlight of Livingston’s Warriors career was likely his 2016 postseason run. While playing added minutes due to Stephen Curry’s ankle injury, Livingston averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds over a six-game stretch to keep Golden State’s back-to-back championship hopes alive.
In other words, the 6-foot-7 lanky presence at shooting guard often represented a calm and cool presence in a locker room that was often feisty and aggressive with the likes of Draymond Green and Kevin Durant patrolling it.
Although he wasn’t a star for the Warriors and never won a Finals MVP as fellow role player Andre Iguodala did for the team back in 2015, he was Mr. Reliable — he was there whenever the team needed him to be.
During his first three seasons in Golden State, he missed just a total of 14 games. Even more impressive, he appeared in 102 of the team’s 105 postseason games during their dynasty run over the past five seasons.
Across 15 seasons in the NBA, Livingston appeared in 833 games and started 191 of them. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.0 assists in 20.6 minutes per game while converting on 48.6 percent of his field goal attempts.
Quite the comeback story, indeed.
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