Former Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker has retired. In his two seasons with the team, he had plenty of memorable moments that won’t be soon forgotten.
I was pretty shocked to see last night’s news about Trevor Booker retiring from the NBA. The former Utah Jazz forward is only 32 years old, but is completely set on entering the next chapter of his life.
Booker played eight NBA seasons, two of which came with the Jazz in 2014-15 and 2015-16. He was able to consistently carve himself out a role regardless of where he was playing. Utah Jazz fans came to love the man thanks to his constant energy and effort.
He was never a star, he was never a starter and he never averaged double-figures with the Jazz, but yet, his play was one of the more memorable events during two seasons in which the Jazz were fighting to take the next step as a team.
The 6’8″ forward averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 2014-15 for the Jazz, and 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 2015-16. He provided fans with plenty of highlights that we’ll get into in this article.
Right off the bat, we have to discuss arguably his most memorable moment in a Utah Jazz uniform — that circus-shot against the Thunder in 2015. I mean, a no-look tip shot with 0.2 seconds on the shot clock? Come on, that’s ridiculous! I’ve practiced this exact move many times since then.
Remember that time when Booker slapped Roy Hibbert during a preseason game in Hawaii after getting mixed up with Julius Randle? Or that time he got Blake Griffin to put his hands around his neck after a hard foul? Man, he was a tough enforcer.
How about that time when he dropped a career-high 36 points in Portland against the Blazers? The Jazz won the game, thanks in part to Booker’s crazy shot-making. He went 12-15 from the field and just about everything he threw up was going down on that night.
Booker has always been an underrated athlete. He had plenty of dunks that left the home fans hyped, but two dunks came to my mind in particular. They were, ironically, both on the road. One against the Kings in Sacramento and the other against the 76ers in Philadelphia.
All of these plays are why Utah Jazz fans fell in love with Trevor Booker. You knew you could always count on him for energy, effort and consistency coming off the bench. He played some of his best basketball in a Jazz uniform.
I personally believe that his tenure in Utah set him up for success in the future. He went on to have a successful stint in Brooklyn before joining two playoff teams in Philadelphia and Indiana. He made a name for himself as a high-energy, low-maintenance type of player with the Jazz.
I also believe that Booker still has some gas left in the tank, but he has other career opportunities ahead of him, which explains his retirement. He’s an entrepreneur and even owns a private high school.
We never got to see Trevor Booker make a return to the Utah Jazz, but that’s okay. His two-year tenure earned him appreciation from a tough fan base for life. I know I’ll miss watching him play, but I also know that he’ll have tons of success outside the NBA.