Andrew Bogut announced his retirement from professional basketball on his Rogue Bogues podcast Monday. Bogut, a native of Australia, played 14 NBA seasons and concluded his career with the NBL's Sydney Kings. In addition to his professional exploits, Bogut was a decorated international player for the Australian National Team. The Boomers finished fourth at the 2016 Olympics, their best finish ever, and while Bogut initially hoped to play in the 2020 Olympics, he is calling it a career after their delay to 2021.
Bogut was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks after two stellar seasons at the University of Utah. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Bucks and earned All-NBA Third Team honors in Milwaukee during the 2009-10 season. His greatest success as a professional came after a trade to the Golden State Warriors, though. There, he won his lone championship and earned All-Defense honors in 2015.
But Bogut was jettisoned by the Warriors when they needed to create the cap space to sign Kevin Durant. That sent him on a years-long odyssey across the NBA, featuring stops with the Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Injuries and age limited his effectiveness, and he never quite recaptured his Golden State form. He returned to the Warriors in 2019 but lost in the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
Bogut retires as Australia's first great NBA success. While Ben Simmons will likely take this throne, he could also be considered Australia's greatest basketball player ever. It has since sent a number of other high-level players to the NBA, but none entered the league with as much fanfare as Bogut, who went on to become a high-level starting center and dominant force in the international game.
