Kevin Martin: Retiring at 34 but keeping basketball alive
Playing professionally is every athlete’s dream!
Knowing when to step down is always a big question, and there are numerous stories of star athletes overstaying and “destroying their legacies” by playing despite their eroded talents.
Kevin Martin was a very popular figure during his playing days with the NBA, contributing heavily for all his teams in the league.
He played for Sacramento, Houston, OKC, Minnesota, and San Antonio, averaging 17 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Amid all his success, he decided to call it quits at the ripe age of 34, when some consider these years to be the prime of their career.
PHILIPPINE STAR: Thanks a lot for joining us. How’s the Philippines been so far?
KEVIN MARTIN: It’s been great! My flight is tonight and I really don’t want to leave! It’s been great just to see the fans, the way they talk about me. My father is here with me, so it’s been an additional blessing. Being the part of the NBA, since basketball is the number one sport over here, it’s been a great journey over the past four days.
A lot of the fans are wondering why you retired, since you’re still young.
A big question huh! Actually I’m not that young. I’m 34 years old, you know the average years in NBA is 30, so I made it to 12 years. It’s also just a different aspect in my life that I wanted to embark on and I’m enjoying right now. Just being a father, and also keeping the game basketball alive in other countries.
So, you’re just looking forward, for the next couple of years, to traveling to different countries and promoting the NBA and the game of basketball?
Yeah, that would be nice. You can just get to so many kids’ minds when you actually have a presence and from just talking about the NBA. It’s such a global sport, and just seeing us open their eyes to try and be an NBA player. It’s just a great avenue for all parties.
Looking back at your career, what would you say are the highlights?
My highlights, I think, are me just being around for 12 years. Being a good teammate, just being a good person off the court, giving charitable work, scoring points, being a very good player and, you know, you can’t really say one single thing, but all in all, it’s a great blessing in my life.
* * *
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @anthonysuntay, and like my Facebook page: Anthony Suntay.
