[rquoter]SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs guard T.J. Ford announced that he will take an indefinite leave of absence from basketball activities this season. The 28-year-old Texas native suffered a series of neck and spine injuries during his eight-year NBA career, most recently a stinger on March 7 vs. New York, and is contemplating retirement as a result. "While this was a tough decision to make, it is what is best for me and my family at this time," said Ford. "I have been blessed to play alongside wonderful teammates for great coaches and organizations from high school, to college, to the NBA. Regardless of what the future holds, I will carry the experiences, the friendships and the memories with me forever. The support I've received from family, friends and the fans has been humbling and I am looking forward to evaluating my professional options following this season." Ford joined the Spurs on Dec. 10, 2011. He appeared in 14 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 3.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes. "The entire organization has enjoyed having T.J. Ford in San Antonio this season," said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. "I congratulate him on all that he has achieved as a player and fully support the difficult decision he was forced to make. T.J. has a bright future ahead of him and will always be a member of the Spurs family."[/rquoter] Jeff McDonald @JMcDonald_SAEN [rquoter]After latest neck injury, TJ Ford says he is retiring. Just to clarify: Spurs release says Ford "taking indefinite leave of absence." Ford himself says his career is over. Ford: "After last Wednesday, I felt being on the floor and being in that position one too many times. I feel like that was enough for me. "That was the last basketball game you’ll see me play." "I played the last five years with doctor’s orders not to play. I still defeated the odds with this condition." "It’s tough because I know I can still play. If I had to play today, I could play. The tests came back negative." "I just felt mentally and physically, my body has taken enough." “I avoided doctors orders for years, and dodged a lot of bullets. I thought I needed to get out while I still had a chance." Ford has 6 yo son and 4 yo daughter: "I can't be selfish. .. I don’t know if I could live with myself if I continue to put myself at risk." Meanwhile, Ford's retirement a big blow for Spurs, who have no other experienced backup PG on roster.[/rquoter]
Smart move by TJ - glad he is getting out while he can. Say San Antonio - have a look at Johnny Flynn or Goran Dragic, Morey is open for business.
Hook 'em. Heckuva player during his glory days, and a class-act off the court. I wish him nothing but the best down the road. I guess fellow Longhorn Cory Joseph becomes Parker's primary backup now... at least til Buford works his magic. Maybe they come after Dragic...
Man, they were a force... 2 McDonald's All-Americans in Ford and former Duke standout Daniel Ewing. Plus, they had Ivan McFarlin and Kenny Taylor, who were both beasts, as well.
Sad, was one of my favourite players back when he played for Toronto. Always liked him as a player and person. All the best.
Sad news, but I'm glad Ford managed to come back from that initial terrible injury and make himself a solid $40 million career out of it. Best of luck to him.
Can't say I blame him. I wonder if he will continue to play pick-up games? I mean, this dude is a basketball player. It's his life. How do you stop entirely? But with doctor's orders not to play, if you're not getting paid, that'd be even more foolish. Sucks for him.... but he did get paid. Maybe he can stay around the game in a coaching/clinic/broadcasting capacity.
Only there 2 years, but greatest Longhorn ever IMO. His playmaking skills at UT were something to marvel at. The neck injuries are a dangerous thing. He's made plenty of money, get out and enjoy the rest of his life.
My old hs coach played along side him at Willowridge... so many stories, he was a great guy with a bad run of unlucky injuries.
he was so fun to watch at willowridge and all indications is he is a good guy. i'm very sad his career didn't pan out the way it could have
Good guy, basketball has treated him very well and wish him the best. I wonder if this would be happening if Al Horford hadn't clobbered him years ago.
He likes to cook! Perhaps getting into the culinary scene is his next step, http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...-betty-crocker-tournament-glory?urn=nba,wp213
It's a shame his career is over so quickly but good he got away before any significant damage was done. I wouldn't be surprised to see him sitting next to Rick Barnes next year should he decide on becoming a coach.
Those Willowridge teams were so much better than the recent Yates team than ran up the score on schools like Chavez and them.
