Rasheed Wallace, far right, spent more time in a suit than a uniform this season.
Credit: Getty Images
Rasheed Wallace’s return to basketball ended up lasting just a handful of impressive weeks.
The Knicks announced Wallace’s retirement from the NBA on Wednesday morning. It is his second retirement from the league, after he stepped away at the end of the 2009-10 season.
“Rasheed has given this team everything he had,” head coach Mike Woodson said in a statement. “He is a winner, true professional and leader on and off the court. Due to his injury, he will not be available to play for us during the playoffs.”
The forward hadn’t played since Dec. 13 with what was originally diagnosed as just a sore foot. He was listed as day-to-day, but as the DNPs piled up it was reported he had a stress reaction in his foot. But Wallace did return April 15 in what was clearly a dress rehearsal for the playoffs. It lasted only four minutes before he left with a reaggravated foot injury.
Wallace came out of retirement to play for the Knicks this season in what was originally seen as a long-shot venture. He wasn’t even necessarily expected to make the team out of camp. Instead, he made the roster and his role with the team became surprisingly important in November.
The 7-footer provided important energy in the post when Tyson Chandler was on the bench. He played just three minutes and four minutes in his first two appearances, but that quickly ballooned to averaging 14.1 minutes per game in his 21 appearances. He played over 20 minutes in three games.
Wallace finished the season with averages of exactly seven points and four rebounds per game.
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