NBA championship-winning center Andrew Bogut yesterday announced that he would not be renewing his contract with the Sydney Kings in the NBL, but the 35-year-old Australian said in a social media post that he was “by no means” retiring yet, just taking time to consider his options given the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have decided not to sign with the Sydney Kings, or any professional sporting team for that matter for the time being,” Bogut wrote on Twitter. “With everything going on in the world, the future does not look too clear, most notably in regards to sporting leagues worldwide. This by no means is a retirement note, but simply saying any concrete decisions are too hard to be made at this point in time.”
Bogut signed a two-year contract with the Kings in 2018 following a 13-year NBA career capped when he won the championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.
Photo: Brad Rempel-USA Today
He was the NBL’s Most Valuable Player in the 2018-2019 season and the Kings made it to the league’s grand final this year before the season was ended prematurely by the pandemic.
Bogut said that he had enjoyed spending the lockdown with his wife and “learning more about my kids than I ever could have previously.”
“The plan moving forward? Spending time with my wife and kids, slowly getting back into physical shape, and finally making the most of the time we don’t traditionally get at home,” he wrote.
Bogut was the NBA’s top draft pick in 2005 and spent seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to Golden State.
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