'Brazilian Blur' Barbosa announces retirement

SAN FRANCISCO (United States) - Brazilian guard Leandro Barbosa has drawn the curtain on a fabulous basketball career and joined the coaching staff of the Golden State Warriors,  the club he won an NBA championship with in 2015.

Barbosa, 37, has made the announcement in an Instagram post in which he reflected on a career that had plenty of highs.

With Brazil, he played at five FIBA Basketball World Cups, starting in 2002, and at the London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2012 and 2016, respectively.

Barbosa was the second leading scorer at the FIBA AmeriCup 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he led Brazil to the title.  He also won the competition in 2005.

A 1.93m (6ft 4in) lightning bolt, Barbosa was a fan favorite and always popular with his teammates. His combination of speed, which helped earn him the nickname "The Brazilian Blur", overall athleticism and determination electrified crowds in his homeland, America and around the world.

The Sao Paulo native had a long NBA career, one that began in 2003 with the Phoenix Suns and ended in 2017, when he completed his third stint with the Suns.

With Phoenix, Barbosa was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in  2007 but it was with another team, Golden State, that he captured his one and only NBA title, in 2015. The following season, his second year with the Warriors, Barbosa helped the team reach the NBA Finals.

In this farewell statement, Barbosa addressed his humble beginnings, remembered his time in the NBA and also his many games representing Brazil.

"I couldn't tell exactly when basketball first crossed my path, but for over 20 years my life has revolved around the orange ball," he wrote. "Any high-performance athlete knows what I'm talking about, but for the vast majority of people it is never enough to stress that this means giving up a lot and doing so for a very long time, difficult decisions and sacrifices must be made along the way. At first, it all seems a hefty price, but it is soon replaced by the sweet taste of both achievement and victory. 

"I consider myself a winner. I left a rough neighborhood in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to play 850 games in the largest basketball league on the planet and more than 100 games defending my home country in five FIBA Basketball World Cups, and two Olympic Games.

"I have also earned a NBA Champion ring. I was the first Brazilian to have ever received an individual award in the NBA, in addition to being a Brazilian Champion. ... Oh boy! I can't help but be proud of my trajectory. I believe I managed to have played at a high level for all these years, so much that I bid farewell as the highest scorer of the last NBB (the New Brazilian Basketball League)."

Barbosa, who played last season for Minas in Brazil and averaged more than 20 points per game, will be missed by the national team. He led the team in scoring at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.

Earlier this year, Barbosa and his wife, who was late in her pregnancy at the time,  contracted COVID-19 but both recovered.

The time is right, he says, to embark on a new career.

"I guess I am ready for a new beginning, a new road, nevertheless I will continue with the good old orange ball," he wrote. "The transition will be quick, as it always has been to me. It is a great joy to announce my return to the Golden State Warriors as a PLAYER MENTOR COACH. I have no doubts I will feel right at home, after all, it was always like that as a player and it has been that way ever since.

"I couldn't be more motivated and engaged. I know that I will be surrounded by brilliant professionals and I will do everything in my power to collaborate with the development of players and with the entire organization.

"I am very grateful for the invitation and mainly for the confidence they have placed in the work that I can do."

FIBA