A recurring theme in 2024 is notable Utah Jazz alumni retiring. After Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood announced their retirements, now Paul Millsap has also officially retired from professional basketball.
ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed Millsap's retirement from basketball via his X account.
After 16 NBA seasons, four-time All-Star Paul Millsap has retired from basketball. Millsap, the No. 47 pick in the 2006 NBA draft, spent his career with the Jazz, Hawks, Nuggets, Nets and 76ers. One of eight players all-time with 500 3-pointers, 1,000 blocks and 1,000 steals. pic.twitter.com/gftfvGHgnf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 3, 2024
Millsap was one of the Jazz's greatest success stories in franchise history. Starting out as the No. 47 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, he quickly made himself a fan favorite in Utah. His all-around play and IQ made fans take to him almost instantly. In his rookie year alone, he played 82 games and played well enough to make the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team.
He went on to be a vital contributor on those revered Deron Williams-led Jazz teams in the late 2000s. Even though he was the backup behind Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, there's no denying how important he was to the team. He also earned some Sixth Man of the Year buzz during that time.
After that team disbanded, Millsap came further into his own in a bigger role with the team. He may have never turned into a superstar, but he became one of the better two-way forwards in the NBA during his heyday.
He left such an imprint that letting him go to the Hawks in 2013 is considered one of the Jazz's most ill-advised decisions.
Millsap had more success in Atlanta
Millsap was very well-liked in Utah, but his buzz only grew once he left for the Hawks. From there, he made four consecutive All-Star teams, made an All-Defensive team, got some Defensive Player of the Year buzz, and was a starter on an Eastern Conference Finals team.
His progression with the Hawks makes it a sad oversight on the Jazz's part because little did they know back in 2013, they had the piece of another playoff team waiting in the wings with Gordon Hayward's development and Rudy Gobert's quick rise through the ranks. Add Millsap to those teams and who knows how they would have turned out?
Millsap continued his impact on a winning team on the Nuggets until 2021, though he was not the same player by the time he left. After splitting his last season with the Nets and 76ers, Millsap has not played since 2022.
Should Millsap's number be retired?
Millsap proved from start to finish that he was a winning player. He may have experienced his most success as a player elsewhere, but he helped bring the Jazz to heights not seen since the Karl Malone-John Stockton days.
He wasn't the best player from that era, but he stuck around. The verdict here would be that if he played a little longer for the Jazz, and perhaps took them further than Williams did, it's definitely a discussion, but it would seem like a reach to retire his numbers.
Nonetheless, Millsap didn't have one hater in Utah when it was all said and done, and anyone who watched him understands why that's the case.