Former NBA center Hassan Whiteside has reportedly announced his retirement from the game of basketball.
Hassan Whiteside is retiring from basketball 🏀 pic.twitter.com/4mSuNzeyuw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2024
Whiteside is most known for his five-season run with the Miami Heat. From 2014-2019, Whiteside averaged 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. While playing for Miami, Whiteside was a two-time block leader and a one-time rebounding leader. Additionally, the Marshall alum was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2016.
After Whiteside left the Heat in free agency in 2019, Miami’s head coach Erik Spoelstra talked about his time with the big man:
“I like him as a human being,” Spoelstra said during a private moment on the Heat’s practice court at AmericanAirlines Arena, “and I liked coaching him. And I’ll continue to root for him as I would anybody else that comes through here.”
This season, the 34-year-old played for Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, one year after joining the team.
Whiteside last played NBA basketball with the Utah Jazz during the 2021-22 season. In 65 games played that season, Whiteside averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.
Additionally, Whiteside also had stints with the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.
NBA News: Two-Time Block Leader Announces Retirement
Hassan Whiteside Impact
To be direct, Whiteside did not make much of an impact in the league’s history. That said, his breakout campaign when he joined the Heat was special to watch. After the Kings drafted him in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft, Whiteside never became a mainstay in the team’s rotation. Two seasons into his NBA career, Whiteside already began playing for teams in the D-League, or overseas in Lebanon and China. After re-joining the Kings in 2020, Whiteside talked about his first stint with the team:
Hassan Whiteside said injuries early in his career didn’t allow him to be the player he could have been when drafted by the Kings in 2010. He was released in 2012, and sees this season as his chance to change his history in Sac. “I always wanted to come back and rewrite that.”
Regardless, once he joined the Heat, Whiteside found his groove and ended up with a solid NBA career.
The Hassan Whiteside era had its moments. Like the night he went off for:
🔥29 points
🔥20 rebounds
🔥9 BlocksWhat is your favorite Hassan Whiteside memory? https://t.co/kWKQSGV1Jq pic.twitter.com/euiKe16X6k
— Heat Lead 🔥 (@HeatLead) February 14, 2024
More than anything, Whiteside was a rim protector first. From 2015-2020, Whiteside finished in the top three in both Defensive Rebound% and Block% for four seasons. Furthermore, Whiteside led the NBA in Defensive Rating for the 2015-16 and 2018-19 seasons.
Whiteside also had offensive capabilities. Throughout his entire tenure with the Heat, the North Carolina native averaged a double-double every season. Whiteside’s best scoring season was his 2016-17 campaign when he averaged 17 points per game while shooting 55.7% from the field.
The Last Word on Hassan Whiteside’s Retirement
It seems highly likely Whiteside was never going to find his way back into the NBA, which may be the deciding factor that led to his retirement. Even so, Whiteside was a fun player to watch in his prime. It will be interesting to see what is next for Whiteside in his post-playing basketball career.
