Former Kings Forward Omri Casspi Retires From Professional Basketball
Jul 18, 2021, 3:06 PM | Updated: 3:07 pm
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The 33-year-old is calling it a career after 16 seasons of professional basketball
After 16 incredible years, Omri Casspi is saying goodbye to the game of basketball.
Casspi, 33, announced on Sunday afternoon that he will be retiring from professional basketball after six seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv and 10 seasons in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings drafted Casspi with the 23rd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, making him the first Israeli player to be selected as a first-round draft pick.
“Basketball has given me a lot over the years. I reached the peaks of European and world basketball that I never dreamed of. I did not believe I’d make those dreams come true,” Casspi said on Sunday.
“I realized it was my time to quit active basketball play, and start the next stage of life.”
Casspi averaged 7.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 45-percent shooting from the field and 37-percent shooting from beyond the three-point stripe during his 10 NBA seasons.
In his five seasons with Sacramento, the 6’9 forward posted career-highs across the board in points (9.6), rebounds (4.6), assists (1.7) and steals (0.7) per game–alongside 45-percent shooting from the field and a career-best 38-percent from three-point land (minimum: 71 appearances).
