Otto Porter has announced his retirement from the NBA after 11 seasons, including a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2022.
“For the past 11 years, I’ve had the opportunity to realise my lifelong dream of playing in the NBA,” Porter Jr. said in a statement issued by the Utah Jazz. “That dream was realised by winning the NBA Championship! Unfortunately, my body is not enabling me to perform at the level that I demand of myself, therefore I’ve chosen to quit.”
Porter had been released by the Jazz earlier that day.
If you want to know what sort of man Porter was, look back to his debut season with the Wizards after playing for Georgetown. According to a letter writer to the Washington Post, a homeless man had been begging for food or money outside a D.C. sandwich shop for about 25 minutes when Porter arrived, went inside, and came out with two sandwiches, one for himself and one for the homeless man, before sitting down and talking with him while they ate. It was an act of compassion and kindness when he had no idea anyone was watching that reveals the man’s character.
Porter, 30, averaged 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game over his career. He began his career in Washington and spent five and a half seasons there before going on to Chicago, Orlando, Golden State, and Toronto. Porter Jr. was acquired by the Jazz in a transaction that brought Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to Toronto, although he never played for the Raptors. After being moved to Utah, he left the club to examine his options.
Porter has been fighting health concerns and has only appeared in 23 games over the last two seasons. Only once in the previous five seasons has he played more than 30 games.
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