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According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, four-time All-Star combo forward Paul Millsap is formally retiring after a stellar 16-year NBA career.
The 6-foot-7 big man was chosen by the Utah Jazz with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft from Louisiana Tech. He ended up being one of the best players in his draft class, which also included three-time All-Star shooting guard Brandon Roy, seven-time All-Star power forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge, six-time All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, and four-time All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.
Lowry and power forward P.J. Tucker are the only two members of Millsap’s class still playing in the NBA after his official retirement.
During his first season in 2006–07, Millsap quickly established himself as a vital member of a deep 51–31 Jazz team, placing sixth in the first of the Year voting (Roy won). During his formative years, he played alongside All-Star power forward and point guard Carlos Boozer as a vital reserve for the late Hall of Fame head coach Jerry Sloan.
In 2008–09 and 2009–10, Millsap was one of the top 17 vote-getters for Sixth Man of the Year. After Boozer’s free agency departure, he eventually became a full-fledged starter (and a consistent favorite of Zach Lowe) the following season, 2010–11.
During his workmanlike career in Utah, the two-way pro was largely unknown. However, he completely emerged as an All-Star when he joined the Atlanta Hawks as a free agent for the 2013–14 season, earning All-Star selections each of his four seasons with the team.
In Millsap’s second season with the team, Atlanta reached its zenith as a contender in the Eastern Conference. Four of the Hawks’ five starters, Millsap, center Al Horford, point guard Jeff Teague, and shooting guard Kyle Korver, were selected to the All-Star team that season as a result of the team’s East-best 60-22 record and their refreshingly egalitarian offensive philosophy under head coach Mike Budenholzer. On their way to their first of four consecutive NBA Finals trips, the team made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where the more talented Cleveland Cavaliers swept them.
The next season, Millsap had an even more successful run, earning his sole career All-Defensive Team selection and placing fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. In search of his next opportunity at championship glory as Atlanta’s fortunes waned, Millsap turned west, toward an expanding league power.
In the end, Millsap signed a two-year, $61 million contract with the then-rising Denver Nuggets after declining his Hawks player option for $21.5 million for the 2017–18 campaign. All-NBA Denver center Nikola Jokic was unlocked by Millsap, who played the defensively minded power forward position similar to that of Aaron Gordon and Jerami Grant. With Millsap on board, the team made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in more than ten years, around 2020, before LeBron James, who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers, dashed Millsap’s hopes of winning a title once more.
Jokic’s first of three league MVP honors came in 2020–21, Millsap’s last season with the Nuggets.
Millsap played as an undersized, deep-bench reserve center for the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers in 2021–2022, splitting what ended up being his final NBA season while trying for that elusive first league title.
Millsap appears to have decided to finally retire after failing to sign an NBA deal for the previous two seasons. He will always be regarded as a multifaceted force. He was a reliable backup who frequently took on the most difficult defensive responsibilities in the frontcourt or along the wing to free up his teammates to focus on their offensive efforts, despite his lack of flare. However, that does not imply that he was a bad scorer.
Millsap has averaged 13.4 points on.489/.341/.736 shooting splits, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per night over 1,085 career regular season games (746 starts).
At the very least, the NBA appreciated Millsap’s contributions to teams vying for championships in the 2010s. The 39-year-old’s on-court earnings during his NBA career totaled $192,540,558 according to Spotrac.
