Former San Antonio Spur Tiago Splitter has announced his retirement from basketball.
The 33-year-old center made the announcement in an interview with Brazilian television station SporTV, saying that he reached the decision after talking with his family.
"You stop doing something that you've been doing all your life. I've talked to my family, my wife, everyone, and it's really time to hang it up."
Splitter also said that a lingering injury was the catalyst to the conversation. "It's a decision I've made these past few months. It's not something I want, but my hip injury is more troublesome than we thought."
The Spurs traded Splitter in 2015 to make room for then-free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. Since then, he's only appeared in 44 games for the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers while dealing with the hip injury.
Splitter was a free agent this past offseason but could not find a team to sign him. He had been spotted at Spurs training camps, fueling rumors that he could possibly return to the team.
Splitter was drafted by Silver and Black in 2007 but remained overseas before joining the team in 2010. Starting alongside Tim Duncan, Splitter was an integral part of a team that went to back-to-back finals, culminating in a championship in 2014.
Splitter confirmed the news of his retirement on Twitter, saying that it was "time to say goodbye to the courts."
Former Spur teammate Matt Bonner tweeted his congratulations to Splitter.
While the Brazilian big man has not said what lies in store for his future, his response to Matt Bonner could hint at a return to San Antonio in the near future:
