Andrew Bogut announced his NBA retirement after 13 seasons Tuesday, but his basketball career isn’t over: the veteran big man inked a two-year deal with the NBL’s Sydney Kings.
I spoke with @andrewbogut about his decision to sign in Sydney, injuries and the chip on his shoulder, and being happy to bring some sh*t-talking to the NBL. https://t.co/EGO01A8mwf
— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) April 24, 2018
Bogut, 33, also earned a small financial stake in his new team.
Bogut had opted not to seek another NBA contract in order to stay close to his wife through her high-risk pregnancy.
Per Fox Sports Australia:
“I’ve been through a lot but so has my wife,” Bogut told foxsports.com.au.
“I saw how hard it was, essentially living out of a suitcase the last year or two, with Dallas and going to Cleveland. I don’t think it’s fair to my son. Kids take a while to adjust. We finally got him sleeping, at Manhattan Beach, finally got his sleep patterns down. Then, we moved. Three months later, and he’s not sleeping well.”
Bogut says he’s healthy.
“I’ve played more years than anyone thought I would, with the injury issues I’ve had; battled through all of those,” Bogut said.
“So, it’s like, I wanna try and still play at a high level back in Australia. The leg break was a freak thing; that’s all fine. But, I manage my body. I’ve just had freak stuff happen to me. I’m injury prone in the case of ‘car accident’ type injuries.
“If I’m on the court and I tweak my hamstring, or hurt my quad or calf, that’s my conditioning’s fault. I’ve never had those types of injuries. Literally, when I do something, it’s a ‘car accident’ type injury, perfect angle, bone break.”
