Former NBA player Carlos Delfino has officially confirmed his retirement from basketball at the age of 43. Delfino played eight seasons in the league, suiting up for the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets.
In an interview with Doble Doble on YouTube, the former Bucks forward announced that his career is over after a whopping 27 years as a pro. Delfino last played on March 23 for Sella Cento in the Serie A2, the second division of Italian basketball. He had three points, five rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes against Libertas Livorno 1947, as per ProBallers.com.
“The moment came that I thought would never come. When I started making excuses not to train and didn’t feel like going, that’s when I said, ‘It’s time.’ I actually felt good about it because I went through a lot of injuries and spent four years without playing. Now I got to choose when to stop,” Delfino said.
Delfino began his basketball journey in 1998 for Libertad de Sunchales in Argentina. He took his talents to 2000 by joining Viola Reggio Calabria in Italy. He was drafted 25th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2003, the same class as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.
Carlos Delfino’s Best Years Were With The Milwaukee Bucks
After staying one more season in Europe, Carlos Delfino signed with the Detroit Pistons and began his NBA career in the 2004-05 season. Delfino primarily came off the bench in his three years in Detroit before getting traded to the Toronto Raptors during the 2007 offseason.
In Toronto, Delfino became one of the team’s best players off the bench. He averaged 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 23.5 minutes per game. He would leave the NBA to join BC Khimki in Russia.
Delfino was back in the United States after just one season in Russia, signing a new deal with the Raptors before getting traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He had his best seasons in Milwaukee, averaging 11.0, 11.5 and 9.0 points per game in his three seasons there.
His final season in the NBA was in 2012-13 with the Houston Rockets. Delfino played 67 games and put up 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He was plagued with a lot of injuries in the next three years before making a comeback at Boca Juniors in 2017. He took his talents back to Europe, playing mostly in Italy from 2018 to 2025.
Carlos Delfino Won a Gold Medal with Argentina
As part of Argentina’s golden generation with players like Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto, Walter Hermann and Andres Nocioni, Carlos Delfino won an Olympic gold medal in 2004. Delfino also won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In addition to two Olympic medals, the 43-year-old veteran also had two FIBA AmeriCup titles in 2011 and 2022. His international career lasted nearly two decades.
Delfino previously revealed in an interview with Julio Ocampo of Relevo in 2023 that he’ll never announce his retirement. However, he backtracked from his remarks and officially confirmed his decision to not play pro basketball anymore after two years.
With Delfino’s retirement, the only active player from the 2003 NBA Draft class is LeBron James.
Former Bucks Forward Officially Retires at Age 43