Bogut retires, ending his bid for an Olympic medal

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SYDNEY (AP) — Andrew Bogut is retiring after 15 years in skilled basketball, with accidents, age and the COVID-19 pandemic ending his bid for one final shot at an Olympic medal.

The 36-year-old Australian had initially focused a retirement date after the 2020 Olympics, however the postponement of the Tokyo Video games to subsequent yr was a stretch too far. On Tuesday he made it official.

Bogut was the No. 1 draft decide by Milwaukee in 2005 and gained an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

”I simply cannot bodily and mentally get to 2021 with the best way the physique has been,” Bogut stated on his ”Rogue Bogues” podcast. ”I imply, I may, on a number of painkillers and with a number of bodily and psychological anguish, however it’s simply not value it at this level in my profession.”

Bogut performed for Sydney within the Nationwide Basketball League the previous two seasons, successful the NBL’s MVP in 2019 and main the Kings to a grand last final season, however was hampered by again and ankle accidents.

”The final two years have been an actual problem for me simply to get away from bed within the morning some days, not to mention go to a coaching session or a recreation,” Bogut stated. ”The physique, in all probability from 2018 onwards, was hanging by a thread.

”It was actual difficult and from the 2019-20 season that thread was fully frayed and in little items. It was actual irritating for me.”

Bogut performed a key position in Australia’s fourth-place end eventually yr’s World Cup in China and has been on the Australian workforce’s roster because the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The Melbourne-born Bogut was named The Related Press faculty basketball participant of the yr in 2005 whereas taking part in for Utah, simply earlier than turning into the primary Australian to be chosen No. 1 within the NBA draft.

”He’s a revered and iconic Boomer and while he would have beloved to joined the workforce in Tokyo his determination to step away is selfless in some ways,” Australian Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian stated. ”His physique has taken a toll, he is aware of it and it validates his team-first mentality as a legendary Boomer!”

The Australian Olympic Committee paid tribute to Bogut, who performed at Athens in 2004, Beijing in ’08 and helped the Boomers to fourth place on the 2016 Video games in Rio de Janeiro. Bogut missed the London Olympics in 2012 due to damage.

”Andrew was a lot greater than an enormous man, he had an aura about him,” stated John Coates, who leads the AOC and is a vice-president of the Worldwide Olympic Committee. ”He was an inspirational determine for the Australian Olympic workforce and a frontrunner on and off the court docket.

”This isn’t only a loss for basketball in Australia however a loss for the Australian Olympic motion. I do know it should have been a tough determination for him, however the nice athletes know when it is time.”

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Extra AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports activities



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