San Antonio Spurs Confirm Antonio McDyess’ Retirement

Antonio McDyess has hung up his sneakers for good, retiring from the NBA after a 16-year career. From the Express-News: “The Spurs had hoped a short post-lockout season might help them convince veteran big man Antonio McDyess he could play one more season, even at age 37. On Monday they officially gave up the quest. With a deadline for fully guaranteeing McDyess’ $5.22 million contract approaching at the end of the business day, the Spurs waived the 6-foot-9 forward from Alabama. ‘When a player gets to a certain age and certain circumstances in his life, he knows when it’s time to do certain things,’ said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who said he spoke with McDyess last week. ‘He’s had a long time to think about it, all summer and fall. He finally made his decision.’ The club gets to remove $2.61 million from its player payroll, a significant factor since the Spurs likely will be over the NBA’s new luxury tax threshold this season. McDyess made it clear during training camp for the 2010-11 season that it likely would be his last. When the Grizzlies eliminated the Spurs from the playoffs in the first round in April, he reiterated he would retire, regretting only how his career ended. ‘This was not at all how I wanted it to end, but signing here was one of the best things I did in my career,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t trade these two years for the world, one of the greatest times of my whole career. I just wish we would have gone farther.'”