Carlos Boozer, a former two-time All-Star with the Utah Jazz, is set to resume his playing career in China after taking a year off.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nine years since Carlos Boozer teamed up with a young Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko to lead the Utah Jazz to a Western Conference Finals berth against the San Antonio Spurs.
Fast forward to more recent days and after failing to see the court during the 2015-16 NBA campaign, it looked as though Boozer’s basketball career may have come to an end. However, recent developments indicate that a comeback may be in the works for the former Jazzman.
After sitting out last season, Boozer is seemingly ready to get back in the saddle again.
According to a report by ESPN’s Marc Stein, the 34-year-old is close to an agreement that would see him resume his professional basketball career with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China.
League sources confirm to @espn that former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer is nearing agreement on a deal to play for China's Guandong Tigers
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 30, 2016
Boozer’s move to Guangdong was first reported by David Pick.
The Tigers are arguably the most successful club in the Chinese Basketball Association’s short history. The team has made the playoffs each and every year since the league’s inception in 1995 and have won eight CBA championships. Former NBA players Will Bynum, Ike Diogu and Yi Jianlian all played for Guangdong last season.
If Boozer performs well with his new team, he may have the opportunity to make his hardwood return in the United States. The CBA’s season ends in early spring, which would allow for the former All-Star to sign with an NBA team just in time for a playoff push.
More from The J-Notes
- With the FIBA World Cup over for Simone Fontecchio, it’s clear he deserves minutes for the Utah Jazz
- Best, Worst and Most likely scenarios for the Utah Jazz this season
- Hoops Hype downplays the significance of the Utah Jazz’s valuable assets
- 3 Utah Jazz players who have the most to gain or lose this season
- Former Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay is a free agent still and it shouldn’t surprise anyone
Boozer last played for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2014-15 NBA season. In 71 games with Kobe Bryant and Co., the big man averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per contest.
Of course, his most productive years were spent in Utah with the Jazz. In six seasons with the team, Boozer averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game and was twice named an All-Star in the Western Conference.
He also won an Olympic gold medal with Williams, his Jazz teammate, in 2008.