Richard Jefferson has not yet officially retired from the NBA. He hasn’t given any signs nor expressed any significant form of inclination that he’s willing to hang his sneakers up outside of last year, when he declared his retirement before recanting his statement by announcing he would play at least one more year.
Jefferson remains adamant that he can still be a serviceable asset in the NBA, but he made clear his reservations with regards to the future.
In a recent appearance on ESPN, Jefferson noted that he’s at a point of his career in which he’s more looking for an opportunity to tutor younger players while being a player himself than chasing another championship (h/t Harrison Wind of BSN Denver).
Richard Jefferson on ESPN today on his future: "I won a championship. It’s about me being in an opportunity to help young players, to mentor a young player…I’ve won a championship. I don’t need to just go chase one right now. You like that resume drop?” pic.twitter.com/PKuiWHDc8J
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) July 20, 2018
Indeed, Richard Jefferson is a man who’s seen it all in the NBA. His motivation to look for a new contract is mainly driven by his altruistic nature. That said, his unselfishness does not outweigh his logistical concerns of having to move his family just to play a year with a “random” team.
But if Jefferson has already hit the end of the road of his NBA career, he will retire having played 1,181 regular season games and 140 playoff contests. He owns career averages of 12.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game with a 46.4 field goal shooting percentage. He has reached the NBA Finals four times, winning one championship with the Cavs in 2016.
The summer is still long, though, and Jefferson might just find his new team before the next NBA season kicks off.
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