Rodney Hood retires from NBA after 8 seasons; Played for Jazz, Cavs, Bucks and more | News, results, highlights, stats and rumours

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 15: Rodney Hood #5 of the Milwaukee Bucks takes a three-point shot in the first half of a game against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on December 15, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTICE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph, User consents to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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Former NBA wing Rodney Hood is retiring after eight seasons, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Dave McMenamin @mcten

Rodney Hood told ESPN he is retiring after 8 seasons in the NBA with UTA, CLE, POR, TOR, MIL and LAC. The 6-8 guard/forward made a comeback attempt with the Memphis Hustle in the G League last season before another injury told him it was time. pic.twitter.com/N7Ty7KR1fv

Hood played for the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers. After a comeback attempt with the G League’s Memphis Hustle stalled due to injury last season, Hood looked toward retirement.

Sore McMenaminThe 32-year-old is finishing his degree at Duke University, where he starred in the 2013-14 season before leaving for the NBA. He is also looking towards a coaching career.

The Jazz selected Hood with the 23rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He averaged 10.4 points per game. game during his career, including a career-high 14.7 for the Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-18. Hood helped the Cavs reach the NBA Finals that season.

The left-hander’s most notable NBA moment came during a phenomenal playoff run in May 2019, when the Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets in quadruple overtime, 140-137 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Hood’s three-pointer with 17.8 seconds left gave Portland a 138-136 lead.

Hood was lights-out against Denver, scoring 14.7 points on 57.6 percent shooting in a seven-game sweep to help push Portland to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.

He entered the starting lineup for the Blazers in 2019-20 and played well in his first 21 games, scoring 11.0 points and making nearly half of his threes (49.3 percent). Unfortunately, a torn left Achilles ended his season.

The injury clearly affected Hood as he shot just 36.5 percent for the rest of his career (107 games for four different teams over his final two seasons). It was a tragic end note to his NBA days considering how well he had performed in the 2019 playoffs in addition to his hot start in 2019-20.

Hood’s last NBA game was on April 10, 2022 with the Clippers. After sitting out the 2022-23 season, Hood attempted a comeback with the G League’s Hustle. He played in five games before an injury slowed that effort.

In a retirement announcement released through McMenamin, Hood said the latest injury was his body telling him to move on. And so does Hood after a solid NBA career with eyes on a Duke degree and a career in coaching.

His playing days may be over, but Hood clearly has a bright future ahead of him as he looks to give back to the game. Hood clearly has a lot going for him given his experience, intelligence and knowledge, so it won’t be a surprise to see him land a good coaching gig soon enough.