Golden State Warriors' champion announces shock retirement following fan frustration

Golden State Warriors' champion Otto Porter Jr. has announced his shock retirement, with injuries eventually catching up to the 30-year-old after 11 years in the league.

Porter was originally drafted third overall by the Washington Wizards in 2013. He would play over five years for the franchise before being traded to the Chicago Bulls, but injuries began to mount up which also led to his trade to the Orlando Magic.

Porter played only 42 games across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, yet that allowed the Warriors to pounce in 2021 free agency where they signed him to a team-friendly one-year, $2.4 million contract.

Otto Porter Jr. will forever be remembered as a crucial and much loved part of the Golden State Warriors' 2022 NBA championship

Porter would go on to average 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals for the Warriors in 63 regular season games. That included 15 starts and a healthy 37% shooting from three-point range.

While he would struggle with injuries over the latter portion of the season, Porter would ultimately start the last three games of the 2022 NBA Finals as Golden State overcame a 2-1 deficit to beat the Boston Celtics.

The strong season would see Porter depart on a two-year, $12.3 million deal to the Toronto Raptors, but injuries would prevent him from ever making a similar impact again. In fact, after that Game 6 of the Finals, Porter would only play 23 more games in his career.

Porter's retirement came after it was earlier announced on Monday that he'd been waived by the Utah Jazz. The 6'8" forward had become a potential free agent option for rival teams including the Warriors, having previously been traded by the Raptors at the deadline.

Initial news of Porter's waiving was met with a wave of backlash and frustration from fans, with few understanding Utah's decision would come after the deadline for playoff eligibility. Had Porter wished to play on this season, he would have been able to sign with any team but would not have been permitted to play in the postseason.

In his retirement statement, Porter acknowledged that his body no longer allows him to play at his desired level. He also recognized that his lifelong NBA dream was capped with the championship in 2022.

Porter played 527 career games including 319 starts, along with a further 50 playoff games. His best individual season came in 2017-18 where he averaged 14.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 77 games for the Wizards.

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