Shaun Livingston announces retirement in emotional Instagram post

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The expected has become a reality.

After 15 NBA seasons, Shaun Livingston announced he was hanging up his sneakers Friday in an emotional Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

After 15 years in the NBA, I’m excited, sad, fortunate and grateful all in one breath. Hard to put into a caption all of the emotions it takes to try and accomplish your dreams. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Anybody that has beat the odds understands the mental and emotional strain it takes to inspire yourself on an uphill war, let alone inspire others. “The injury” gave me a chance to find and prove to myself (and the world) that I wouldn’t be defined by my circumstances. With my time in the League what I will be most proud of is the fact that my character, values and faith were tested, and I persevered.To my pops that told me to “go get the big ball” I THANK YOU. To my Grandpa that always showed me there was more to life than basketball I THANK YOU. To my Uncles that helped raise me like I was one of their own, THANK YOU. To my wife and kids...the future IS BRIGHTER than our past, and I couldn’t see myself taking on this chapter without you. To all of my teammates, coaches, TRAINERS, staff, my journey is a collection of experiences,and those of you that helped me along the way, THANK YOU! To all the fans and anybody else that inspired me, supported me, cheered for me, or even said good words about me, THANK YOU. “The greatest gift we can give is service to others”#Raiseaglass

A post shared by Shaun Livingston (@sdot1414) on Sep 13, 2019 at 8:30am PDT

While Livingston never directly says he is retiring, it appears to be pretty clear that he has decided to call it a career. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarwoski confirmed the announcement shortly after the post.

Livingston was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. He suffered a catastrophic knee injury in 2007, where he dislocated his left knee cap and caused his leg to snap laterally, injuring almost every ligament in that knee.

Livingston's rehab and road back to the NBA took years, but he finally landed with the Nets in 2013 and after playing a season in Brooklyn, he signed with the Warriors and became a key cog in the Dubs' dynastic run.

In five seasons with the Warriors, Livingston helped them win three titles while averaging 5.4 points per game on 52 percent shooting. The Warriors waived Livingston this offseason as they try to remake their roster after five consecutive runs to the NBA Finals.

"Shaun Livingston’s story is one of the most inspirational in the history of professional sports,” Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said in a statement. “What he accomplished after suffering so many trials and tribulations early in his career is a true testament to who he is as a person, which has always been characterized by tremendous class, grace and professionalism. He represents everything that you’d want in a professional athlete and, most importantly, in a human being. We appreciate what he did for our team and organization over the last five years, becoming a three-time NBA champion and a key figure on one of the best teams in NBA history. We wish him well as he begins the next phase in his life.”

[RELATED: Laocb issues a statement on Livingston's departure]

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has said he wants the guard to be a part of the organization after he decided to retire and it appears that time has come. 

#RaiseAGlass to a Dubs legend.

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