Rudy Gay retires from basketball

From there, it was years of learning from some of the best. There were so many players who were kind enough to pass along some of their expertise. Way too many to name. But I’ll always be grateful to Mike Miller for showing me how to put in work. How to hone your craft through consistent and focused training. Mike was a maniac with that stuff, and if you were around him enough you couldn’t help but to have it rub off. Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili were two other guys I absolutely loved. They’re both tireless competitors, and Patty is literally the most optimistic, positive person I’ve ever met. Darrell Arthur, too, another Memphis guy. Did all the little things, the dirty work. He had a huge impact on me. Then there’s Chris Paul, my friend and also one of the most competitive people I have ever met. I remember us not talking for years over a playoff series! And Kyle Lowry. Kyle is one of my best friends in the entire world, going all the way back to middle school. So, it was awesome to be able to suit up and play in NBA games with Kyle. -via The Players’ Tribune / October 29, 2024

But actually coming to grips with it being over, that’s … a process. One I’m honestly still dealing with, and struggle with at times. I’ll still be watching games and see some of these guys missing a pass or fumbling the ball out of bounds, and I absolutely am that dude yelling at the TV like: “I’m better than that clown. Are you kidding me?!?!?” It’s not pretty.   But, at the same time, look…. I’m 38 years old. That’s nowhere even near mid-career for most people’s professional lives. So, the way I see it, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I just need to figure out what exactly that means. Maybe it’s public speaking, or media, or business. We’re gonna see. I have a contracting company, a real estate company. I have the PickUp USA Fitness gym in Towson, Maryland. There are a bunch of things I’ve already begun devoting some time to. Now it’s just a matter of finding one big new thing that I love, and then throwing my energy into it. -via The Players’ Tribune / October 29, 2024

So, play continues, but at the other end someone knocks the ball out of bounds or something, and there’s a stoppage. I walk over to Kobe like, “Kob! Kob? You alright?”  Nothing.  He’s just swaying back and forth now. It’s crazy. Just swaying in place. Eyes looking off in the distance somewhere.  Next possession, we’re on offense again, and there’s a foul. OK, enough! I’m standing right next to him at the foul line. Like, I gotta see if Kobe can hear!   “Kob. Kob! Kob!!! Are you OK, man?” A second passes. Then another. Then…. He turns his head in my direction. And he looks at me. Blank stare.  “Kob, I know I got you with the shoulder a little bit. Are you OK?” A few more seconds pass. Like awkward, awkward seconds. Then he looks straight into my soul with those eyes of his, and, real slow and pronounced, he says…. “Don’t    you    ever …………….. ask me ……….. am I OK.” It was the coldest cold-blooded thing ever.  -via The Players’ Tribune / October 29, 2024