NBA Rumors: 17-Year Veteran Not Ready To Retire

Father Time has taken its toll on the former three-time Sixth Man Of The Year, but at the age of 35, the Atlanta Hawks' shooting guard Lou Williams is not ready to call it quits just yet. 

“(Williams) is not pursuing retirement, and I’ll be proactive in talking to teams during free agency,” said his agent Wallace Prather, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

In his second season with the Hawks, Williams had his minutes cut substantially, as the team suffered defensively with him on the floor. He averaged  6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in just 14.3 minutes a game for Atlanta this season, in 56 games. His scoring was down considerably from his career average of 14 pts/game.

During the season, with his diminished role, he clearly started to think about retirement, as he said "I'm embracing it. I speak so freely about it, because I don't know when I'll retire. I have the freedom to make that decision, whether it's this year, next year, or I wanna keep going... cuz I can still play at a high level. It's not a lack of talent, I think I'm just mentally in a space where I'm ready to give my energy to something else."

He's obviously had second thoughts since the season ended. 

Williams was named Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA three times in five seasons between 2015 and 2019, once with the Toronto Raptors, and twice with the Los Angeles Clippers.

He also became the first player in NBA history with 1,000 appearances off the bench. 

Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports