After 14 successful seasons playing in the NBA, veteran Stephen Jackson finally announced Thursday that he is going to hang up his shoes and retire from the association.
Jackson played for eight teams over the course of his illustrious career, putting up career figures 15.1 points per game, 3.1 assists per game, and 3.9 rebounds per game. In 2003, Jackson won the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs. His best year in terms of scoring was during the 2009-10 season, in which he averaged 21.1 points per game for the team then referred-to as the Charlotte Bobcats.
One of the most clutch players ever seen in the league, Jackson was always dependable in a game's late stages. In the final minutes, all of the swingman's strong areas - his proficient all-around shot-creation, conversion, and ball distribution - really came out, helping him down the stretch to create opportunities for himself and teammates of his to make crucial and highly-pressured plays.
Basketball fans will immensely miss and yearn for seeing 'Stack' out on an NBA court. Always an electric player and crowd-pleaser, Jackson knew how to fire up a game with his scoring, whether late-game or not, and certainly deserves an ovation for his hard work and perseverance as a member of the basketball community.
On the personal side of things, it was a good time for 'Jack' to call it an end. He already had won an NBA Championship and developed a good reputation around the league, leaving him with no unfinished business before his retirement. Jackson will most likely become a basketball analyst for a major sports broadcasting organizarion, as like many former NBAers, Jackson has a knack for the strategy behind the game, and retirees like that often shift into the journalism and broadcasting side of sports.
The only thing left for Jackson is induction to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and seeing how the 37 year-old performed during his prime years in the league, he may very well eventually make the list and find his way into the Hall.