Jason Richardson's sudden retirement announcement late Wednesday evening took many around the league by surprise. The 34-year-old had followed Malik Rose to Atlanta, chasing one last chance at an elusive championship. Only in a matter of weeks, a bum knee depleted his self confidence and with an Instagram post, Richardson waved goodbye to professional basketball.
J-Rich's retirement will likely be the last subtle reminder of the broken franchise Sam Hinkie and Brett Brown took over. It's astounding his raucous City Hall introductory press conference — er, Andrew Bynum's introductory press conference — was only three years ago.