Ex-Miami Heat All-Star retiring from basketball

The Dragon is about to fly off into the sunset.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Saturday that longtime NBA guard Goran Dragic is retiring from basketball. Charania adds that Dragic will play one final farewell game in his native Slovenia before officially calling it quits.

Dragic, 37, played 15 NBA seasons from 2008-23. He was best known for his stints with the Phoenix Suns (with whom he made an All-NBA team and won the Most Improved Player Award in 2014) and the Miami Heat (with whom he was an All-Star in 2018 and made the NBA Finals in 2020). In Miami especially, Dragic was a beloved fan favorite for his selfless play and willingness to adapt to whatever role was needed amid the team’s changing priorities.

For Dragic, who was unsigned this NBA season, later career stints with Toronto, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Milwaukee didn’t exactly go according to plan. But he still retires as a very well-respected veteran with career tallies of 13.3 points and 4.7 assists per game plus estimated NBA career earnings of $154 million.