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Jason Richardson announces retirement

The thought was that Jason Richardson would extend his career as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

But the shooting guard, who was with 76ers the past three seasons, announced his retirement  Wednesday on his personal Instagram page.

"Today is a bitter sweet moment for me," he wrote. " I'm officially announcing my retirement from pro basketball. I like to thank the organizations and fans in Charlotte, Phoenix, Orlando, Philly and especially The Bay Area for their loyal support the past 14 years. Walking away was the hardest decision I had to make but choosing my health and spending time with my family is more important to me! God bless!"

This announcement comes after Richardson had signed a non-guaranteed, one-year deal with the Hawks for the league minimum back in August.

The 34-year-old leaves the game after averaging 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds in 13 combined seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and Sixers.

By now, most Sixers fans know Richardson's story. He returned to the court on Feb. 20 for the first time in more than two years after suffering a cartilage tear the size of a quarter on the right side of his left kneecap in January 2013.

In 19 games, he averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 21.9 minutes. His best performance was a 29-point effort in a March 4 overtime road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Richardson struggled during stretches. He missed 10 games after his return because of swelling and soreness in his knee and not being cleared to play on back-to-back nights.

"For me, [this season] gave me hope and determination to come back from the injury that I did without really any practice time," he said in April, "and to be on the court, that gave me a lot of hope for my future. I can play a few more years in this league."

Richardson's summer goals were to get work on his knee and get his shooting touch back.  He was determined to play the entire season in what would be his 14th campaign in the NBA.


Instead, he'll concentrate on spending quality time with his family.

Follow and contact Inquirer 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and Instagram at PompeyOnSixers