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Shaun Livingston spent a whole year taking a look at his fuzzy future, and the last three months he's just watched it. It is only this week that he had clear visibility.
His heart was murmuring, pushing him to play another year. In the NBA. Only the NBA.
His mind doubted, wondering if he had it in him.
His body? Well, it was barking and screaming, over 12 years of agony and pain, and constant maintenance bursting into his ear and begging him to give up, to devote himself to work much less demanding than those of eight or nine months and finally accept the life that he knows waits.
So on Friday, a day after his 34th birthday, with his family, his friends and media representatives looking for a solution, Livingston consulted Instagram to announce that he was retiring.
His last season was difficult, as signs of physical decline emerged. His lateral speed diminished, injuring his defense. His crime came and went, very well one night and absent another. His pre-game routine required prolonged treatment, but he still needed extra rest. It was one of the first examples of a load management program.
"It's getting harder," Livingston conceded after a shoot in March in Houston. "The pain persists a little longer, but I still enjoy it. I can not say that my body always does it. "
After thinking and after listening to his mind and body, and after the two meetings, he was able to put an end to a career once so radically altered that there was a rational fear that would end in the future. 39, deeply unjust age of 21 years.
Livingston, who spent 14 seasons in the NBA, is moving away after the best five years of his career. He was a valuable reserve within a team of warriors who won three championships and made five consecutive trips to the finals. After a trip of eight teams during which he has never spent more than three years with a single employer, he went for the umpteenth time in the free agent market and found the Warriors in July. 2014.
He signed a three-year contract and, after his conclusion, brought Oakland home. After resurrecting and stabilizing his career, he became a free agent in 2017. He did not think for a moment of buying a bigger role or a larger contract with another team.
A few minutes later, Livingston agreed to sign again with the Warriors. And when I texted him why he was not planning to come back to the market, his answer was loud.
"I can not put a price on happiness."
He was thrilled to finally find a successful franchise that included his physical difficulties and used it properly. Playing behind star players Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Livingston's minutes were monitored. It became apparent that he was producing the best – and was the most durable – when he was limited to about 18 minutes per game. He could, ultimately, go beyond that, but he would feel it the next day.
His constant leadership was precious. Livingston and fellow Andre Iguodala, a native of Illinois, were the twins of wisdom in a locker room that covered a range of personalities. Iguodala, with his unshakable spirit, could play the "bad policeman". Livingston, with his fresh air and unique perspective, was the "good policeman".
Now both are gone. Iguodala traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, Livingston choosing to hang up his jersey.
Ten years ago, Livingston began his career hoping to become a star of transformation. A 6-foot-7 guard entering the NBA from Peoria, Ill. At age 18, ranked fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers, his game featured elements of Penny Hardaway, Magic Johnson and , in today's match, a mid-range actress, DeMar DeRozan.
[[[[RELATED, RELATED, RELATED: Five Most Memorable Moments in Livingston's Warrior's Journey]
The most dazzling elements of Livingston's game died on the floor at Staples Center in February 2007, following a left knee injury. He had tears with ACL, MCL, PCL and lateral meniscus, as well as a dislocated patella and a broken tibia and fibula. His left leg was so demolished that the fear of amputation was necessary.
Livingston fought back and forced his return to his dream. It has never been better than in the last five years, which has certainly facilitated its decision.
It was time to go there. It only took a few months to say goodbye.
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