New York (AFP) – Bojan Bogdanovic, who played 10 NBA seasons after a storied European career, announced his retirement on Sunday, the 36-year-old forward nagged by a left foot injury.
Bogdanovic was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, but played internationally for Croatia. He played for his hometown club, signed with Real Madrid, and later joined Zagreb and Fenerbahce. He won Croatian and Turkish league titles before making his NBA debut with Brooklyn in 2014 and later played for Washington, Indiana, Utah, Detroit, and New York.
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But Bogdanovic had season-ending foot surgery in 2024 and again this past February, never playing for the Nets after a return trade to Brooklyn. “Sometimes in life, you don’t choose the moment. The moment chooses you,” Bogdanovic posted on social media. “After 14 months of battling a foot injury, two surgeries and countless efforts to get back on the court, the time has come to close a chapter.”
Bogdanovic averaged 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over 719 career NBA games. “After more than two decades in the game, the moment has arrived to say goodbye to basketball,” Bogdanovic wrote. “Not just as a sport but as a part of who I am.” He averaged a career-best 21.6 points with Detroit in the 2022-23 campaign and made the playoffs seven times for a total of five clubs.
“Every stop left a mark,” he wrote. “Every jersey carried its own weight.” “I’m closing this chapter but my love for the game remains,” he concluded. “I didn’t reach the end. I’ve reached the other side of the beginning.”
© 2024 AFP
