Jason Terry decided to retire from the NBA last summer after 19 seasons. A lot of athletes would be content with such a lengthy run, but it sounds like the Jet still has an itch to play the game he loves.
According to a report from James Herbert of CBS Sports, Terry is joining the BIG3, a three-on-three summer league for retired NBA players that was founded by Ice Cube.
This summer, Terry will be back on the court with the BIG3, the 3-on-3 league co-founded by Ice Cube. He is already talking about winning the championship, which is fitting for someone who, eight months before getting a ring with the Dallas Mavericks, tattooed the Larry O'Brien trophy on his right bicep.
Terry, now 41 years of age, had an accomplished 19-year pro career, including a championship in 2011 and a Sixth Man of the Year award in 2009. He was also a champion in college, so he'll be looking to keep that trend going in this latest venture.
CBS Sports: Why are you joining the BIG3?
Jason Terry: The biggest reason, the No. 1 reason, is my love for the game and for the fans.
Watching the BIG3 the last two years — the first year I was able to attend the championship game in Vegas, last year I was at one of the home games in Dallas — sitting courtside, I promised Cube, the very first year that I retire, that I will play in the BIG3.
One, it's an entertaining league. Two, a lot of the guys playing — you're talking about Jermaine O'Neal, Nate Robinson, Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson — these are all guys that either were on my team or I played against while I was in the league, so we're a tight brotherhood. That relationship alone, and then having fun, going out and playing the game that you love in front of the fans, touring around the United States with fans that haven't gotten seen you play in a while, is ultra-fun. And then, when you've got Hall of Famers like Clyde Drexler, Gary Payton — who I idolized when I grew up, who mentors me — as a part of a league like this, why wouldn't you come out and play and have fun. And compete.
Don't get me wrong, now, we're going to have a lot of fun, but I won at every level and I don't see it stopping now. And being able to compete for a championship in the BIG3 will be definitely historic and another legendary mark for myself.
Most hoops fans will remember Terry from his days with the Dallas Mavericks, but he also served stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. According to reports, he had hopes of making a return to the NBA, but those plans never came to fruition.
In 1,410 games played over the course of his career, Terry racked up averages of 13.4 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the field 38 percent from beyond the arc), 3.8 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 29.8 minutes per outing.
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