By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Former EuroLeague star and 2014 NBA champion Tiago Splitter announced his retirement from professional basketball at 33 years of age.
Splitter cited the ongoing problems from his hip injury as the main reason that forced him to an early retirement.
“I am going to stop playing. It’s a decision I’ve made these past few months. It’s not something I want, but the hip injury I’ve been having is more troublesome than we thought. It’s a difficult time because you stop doing something you’ve done a lifetime. I remember being on a basketball court as long as I remember myself. I talked to my family, my wife, everyone, and really, it’s time to hang up the sneakers,” Splitter said to Brazilian Spor TV during the All-Star Weekend.
The international Brazilian center emerged as one of the elite EuroLeague big men near the end of the previous decade with Baskonia, before heading to the NBA to join the San Antonio Spurs. With the latter he won the 2014 NBA championship, becoming the first ever Brazilian player to accomplish such thing.
Throughout his career in Europe, Splitter has been a member of the All-EuroLeague First Team (2008) and Second Team (2009, 2010). With Baskonia, he won the Spanish League titles in 2008 and 2010 (when he also received Finals MVP honors), the 2004, 2006 and 2009 Copa Del Rey trophies plus the Spanish SuperCup of 2005, 2006 (also MVP), 2007 (also MVP) and 2008.