Los Angeles Lakers: Andrew Bogut retiring from NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers will be the last team that Andrew Bogut played for in the NBA, as he announced his retirement from the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers were a surprise landing spot for Andrew Bogut last September. Los Angeles has a solid young core of players, but they were not yet at the level of contenders, especially in the loaded Western Conference.

Despite that, the veteran Bogut still decided to sign with the Lakers. His presence was one that was felt by the younger guys on the team, as Bogut was lauded for his mentoring skills. With Luol Deng not around the team after opening night, Bogut was the most experienced, and oldest, player on the roster.

It is something that the organization appreciated. Bogut also showed that he still had something left in the tank. Despite playing limited minutes, he was still productive when on the court, and the Lakers were actually better when he played. Bogut registered an offensive rating of 106 and a defensive rating of 104 according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Despite having the skill level to still perform in the NBA, Bogut decided it was time to return home. Earlier this week, it was reported that Bogut signed with the Sydney Kings of the NBL in Austrailia, where he is from.

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The deal was not finalized yet, and there was uncertainty about whether or not he would return to the NBA at some point. Today, those questions were all answered.

Bogut signed a two-year deal with the team, which includes a small stake in the organization. He also confirmed that he is retiring from the NBA after playing 13 years in the league.

Bogut cited his family as the biggest reason to leave the NBA and commit to playing in Austrailia.

"“I’ve been through a lot but so has my wife,” Bogut told foxsports.com.au.“I saw how hard it was, essentially living out of a suitcase the last year or two, with Dallas and going to Cleveland.“I don’t think it’s fair to my son. Kids take a while to adjust. We finally got him sleeping, at Manhattan Beach, finally got his sleep patterns down. Then, we moved. Three months later, and he’s not sleeping well.”"

Sometimes it is forgotten that professional athletes are people, too. They have families just like anyone else and have to sacrifice a lot to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Bogut reached that and has decided that it is time he put his focus elsewhere.

In addition to being closer to his family, Bogut also wants to help push basketball in Austrailia. It is part of the reason that he committed to two years there, as he wanted to show he was serious.

"“I think that’s the wrong mindset,” Bogut said of even thinking about NBA out clauses.“It only hurts the game and the NBL and myself. I wanna come back here and be fully committed.”“It’s like, I’m staying. I’m committed to you guys. I wanna be in Australia. Like I said, if I’m gonna commit to it, I’m gonna commit to it.“I’m not gonna come in here for a marketing gig. I think that would se the game back further than not doing anything at all. I don’t think it’s the right message to send.“Hopefully this starts and sets a precedent for when other guys wanna come back. This is an opportunity for them.”"

This is a great addition to the league and an excellent move for Bogut himself. He has accomplished more in the NBA than some people can even dream of.

In 13 years, Bogut finishes with career averages of 9.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. He was on the 2005-06 All-Rookie team, 2009-10 All-NBA team, 2010-11 blocks leader, named to the 2014-15 All-Defensive team and an NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors in 2014-15.

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