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Will Barton, who began his NBA career playing alongside Damian Lillard and played the bulk of his career alongside Nikola Jokic on the Denver Nuggets, announced his official retirement today.
Barton last played in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors in 2023 and had since competed overseas and most recently in Puerto Rico. The former second-round draft pick confirmed his retirement from professional basketball via Instagram.
“13 years pro. 11 years in the NBA. Man where did the time go? Crazy when I was young I never seen the end in my vision. But here we are,” Barton wrote. “Man what a time I promise it was everything I dreamed of plus way more. GOD thank you for taking me on this amazing journey & blessing me with not only a talent but a vision & faith. Thanks to everyone who helped me at any stage or was apart of this ride at any point. Close or not close you were needed & I appreciate you. I pray I gave others hope & inspired some. Ups & downs it was all worth it & this game gave me purpose. I look forward to the next chapter in my life. & I know that because of you basketball I’ll be ok because you taught me to never give up & keep fighting. Thank you to the greatest game ever. Thanks for changing my life forever & giving me something to believe in. I will always love you & remember everything you taught me. Cheers…to the game forever! Damn we really did it huh…still surreal even though we planned it… Thrill you did that shorty no doubt!”
The 40th overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Memphis, Barton spent parts of three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, who drafted Lillard the same night as Barton, before joining the Nuggets in a midseason trade. Barton then played almost the entire rest of his career in Denver, where he was among Jokic's longest-tenured teammates.
After eight seasons with the Nuggets, Barton was traded to the Washington Wizards, who bought out his contract in February 2023. Barton signed with the Toronto Raptors for the rest of the season, which would be his final in the NBA. Over the past year, Barton played in Spain, Puerto Rico, and China.
For his NBA career, Barton averaged 11.2 points per game in more than 700 games between the regular season and playoffs. In that time, he earned more than $80 million.
