Wrapping up a career that spanned 15 years and included two All-Star appearances, David West has taken to Twitter to announce that he will be leaving the game of basketball as a champion, having been a part of the Golden State Warriors team that has won the past two NBA titles, according to reports from the Bleacher Report .
When West re-signed with the Warriors on a one-year contract in the summer of 2017, he made it clear that it would be his last. It ended up being a good decision for the power forward, who added another NBA title to his legacy after a career that, before Golden State, was played on teams that were contenders but never champions.
Beginning his career in 2003 after being selected by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the NBA Draft, the New Jersey native would go on to spend the bulk of his career in New Orleans. His most productive years came with the Hornets, making the All-Star team in 2008 and 2009. West was an integral member of the 2007-08 Hornets team that won a franchise record 56 games, averaging 20.6 points a game and 8.9 rebounds as part of a superstar tandem with Chris Paul. West leads the franchise with 530 games played and 17,160 minutes played.
— David West (@D_West30) August 30, 2018
West left New Orleans in the summer of 2011, joining an Indiana Pacers team that while never making the NBA Finals, were always one of the most competitive teams in the East and made the dominance of the Miami Heat team that consisted of the Lebron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh triumvirate a much more laborious effort than expected. West moved to more of a supportive role as a Pacer, adding assistance to stars that included Paul George, while also developing a reputation in the league as a tough enforcer.
West took a pay cut to go to the San Antonio Spurs in 2015, where he spent one season before moving on to the Warriors in 2016. While his time with Golden State was the least productive period of his, West wasn’t simply ring chasing and proved valuable when called upon, averaging 17.8 points per 36 minutes in his final season with the Warriors, according to Basketball Reference .
West also had a very productive college career to go with his professional one. Spending four years at Xavier, West won three straight A-10 Player of the Year awards from 2001 to 2003. West was also named the Associated Press National Player of the Year.
