T.J. Ford announces retirement
Spurs guard T.J. Ford announced what he termed as his retirement Monday morning, ending his eight-season NBA career.
The former Naismith Award winner at Texas suffered what the team termed as a stinger in their victory over New York on Wednesday. He had struggled with stenosis, or a narrowing of the spinal cord, over the past several years.
The injury occurred when New York guard Baron Davis ran into his Ford’s back scrambling for a rebound. It was aggravated when he was inadvertently kicked in the head as he landed by Tiago Splitter.
Ford, who turns 29 later this month, said Monday that doctors had advised him for that past several seasons that one blow to his back could cause the end of his career.
“I’m at peace with my decision,” Ford said. “I’m just glad I’ve been able to play close to home (for the past several weeks) where my family has been able to see me play.”
He will join the Spurs in an unspecified role over the next few weeks.
We’ll have much more on this surprise announcement as the day progresses. Keep checking back to Spurs Nation.com for updates.
