Rasheed Wallace Retires From NBA For Second Time

Veteran NBA forward Rasheed Wallace has retired from the game of basketball for the second time.

Wallace’s retirement comes after the four-time All-star was unable to recover from a left foot injury suffered in December of 2012.

“Rasheed has given this team everything he had,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said in a statement provided by the team. “He is a winner, true professional and leader on and off the court. Due to his injury, he will not be available to play for us during the playoffs.”

Wallace, 38, first retired from the NBA in 2010 after playing 15 years with a number of teams, including the Washington Bullets, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics.

However, after a two year hiatus from game, the former first round draft pick came out of retirement to join the New York Knicks and was a key player off the bench during their strong start.

In 21 games of action in the 2012-2013 season, Wallace averaged 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.1 minutes.

His last time on the court was Monday, April 15 against the Charlotte Bobcats. After playing just four minutes, however, Wallace was forced to leave the game due to foot soreness.

Over the course of his 16-year career, Rasheed Wallace averaged 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

His best season (statistically) came with the Trail Blazers in 2001-2002, when he averaged nearly 20 points, 8.2 boards, 2 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest. In 2004, he joined the Detroit Pistons and aided their upset of the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

In addition his playing ability, Wallace was also known for his colorful behavior on the court.

During the 2000-2001 season, Rasheed received 41 technical fouls over a span of 80 games, about one technical foul for every two games.

He is currently the NBA’s all-time leader in player technical fouls, with over 300.

Here is a video of some of Rasheed Wallace’s greatest moments in the NBA: