Former Chicago Bulls player Otto Porter Jr. has formally announced his retirement from professional basketball, marking the end of his 11-year NBA career.
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Porter Jr. made the surprising decision to retire, revealing his intentions in a press release issued by the Utah Jazz shortly after they released him from their roster. In his statement, he cited his inability to maintain the level of performance he expects from himself due to physical limitations, leading to his retirement.
Drafted as the third overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Porter Jr. played for four other teams besides the Bulls, ultimately concluding his career with an average of 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, with a field goal shooting percentage of 47.7% across 527 regular season games.
During his tenure with the Bulls, Porter Jr. was acquired from the Washington Wizards in the middle of the 2018-19 season and played for them over the following two seasons. Despite being seen as a foundational piece in the Bulls’ rebuilding efforts, he struggled with injuries, limiting him to just 54 regular season games from 2019 to 2021.
Despite his injury setbacks and limited appearances for the Bulls, Porter Jr. had his most productive statistical season with the team, averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
