Former Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut has announced his retirement. Bogut announced the news on his podcast, and noted that he had planned on playing in the 2020 Olympics before they were postponed due to the coronavirus.
Andrew Bogut is retiring, he will not be playing in Tokyo 2021.
— Lachlan Everett (@LachieEverett) November 30, 2020
Bogut announced this on his new podcast @RogueBogues #NBL21
Bogut was the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, and played 14 NBA seasons, earning a few individual accolades along the way, most notably when he was All-NBA in 2009-10, and All-Defense in 2014-15.
He played a huge role in the Warriors decade of success. After spending the first seven years of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, a then-injured Bogut was traded to Golden State in exchange for Ekpe Udoh and fan favorite Monta Ellis in 2012.
It was a wildly unpopular trade among Warriors fans, and one that resulted in new owner Joe Lacob getting booed nonstop at Oracle Arena. But once Bogut got healthy, he set about proving his worth with the Dubs.
For four years he was the anchor of an impressive Warriors defense, which culminated in winning a title in 2014-2015 and helping the team record 73 wins in 2015-16.
The Warriors had to trade Bogut in the summer of 2016 to accommodate Kevin Durant’s contract, but they brought the veteran center back at the end of the 2018-19 season following an injury to DeMarcus Cousins. He played 11 games for the Warriors that year — after playing a season in Australia — and that was the end of his NBA career.
Views of him off the court were a little more polarizing, as he was known for being brash and rather politically incorrect on social media. Regardless, you can’t write the story of the dynastic Warriors without mentioning the defender who manned the middle and made amazing passes from the elbows for so many years.
Enjoy retirement, Bogues.