Veteran NBA forward Elton Brand, after spending 17 seasons in the league, formally announced his retirement this afternoon in front of his teammates, coaching staff, and reporters.
Brand logged 34,910 minutes as a pro, finishing with a total of 16,827 points, 9,040 rebounds, and 1,828 blocks in 1,058 games.
As you may recall, Brand also announced his retirement last summer. He would later sign a deal with the Sixers and come out of retirement in January.
“It’s for real this time”, Brand said Thursday afternoon.
Across his 17 seasons in the league, Brand made stops with the Bulls, Clippers, Sixers, Mavericks and Hawks.
“It was a wonderful journey”, said Brand. “I’d like to certainly thank all the organizations I’ve been a part of.”
Brand has spent much of the last few months helping Philadelphia’s youth, serving as a mentor to players such as Joel Embiid.
When looking back, however, his prime years were with the Los Angeles Clippers. During the 2005-’06 season, Brand held per-game averages of 24.7 points and 10 rebounds, and was named to the Western Conference All-Star team.
His insane work ethic is well documented, but his calm demeanor and positive attitude is what many players will remember in him. Brand was the recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2006, an award many believed he rightfully deserved. He also finished third in the Teammate of the Year voting in 2015, as well.
Elton Brand was drafted by Chicago with the No. 1 pick in 1999, and was one of the only 1990’s draftees to play in the league last season.
