After seventeen seasons in the NBA, Rudy Gay has announced his retirement from basketball.

Gay announced the news via the Players’ Tribune, where he reflected on pivotal moments and relationships he encountered during his time in the league.

The 6-foot-4 small forward averaged 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 45 percent during an NBA career with five franchises.

A native of Brooklyn, NY with high school ties to Baltimore County in Maryland, Gay attended UConn from 2004 to 2006 before being drafted in the first round by the Houston Rockets with the eighth pick. Houston traded Gay to the Memphis before his rookie season.

As a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, Gay was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2007, played in the FIBA ​​World Cup in Turkey in 2010 and Spain in 2014, winning gold with both teams.

Gay played for five teams in his 18 seasons, including seven with the Grizzlies, one season with the Toronto Raptors, four with the Sacramento Kings, four with the San Antonio Spurs and two with the Utah Jazz. In his four years in Sacramento, Gay averaged over 19.3 points, six rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in four seasons in Sacramento.

He had signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors last summer, but that was waived before the season.

In the two years he spent in Toronto, Gay averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

Gay was named a McDonald’s All-American in 2004 and was Big East Rookie of the Year at UConn.

(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)