The Neue Zürcher Zeitung, or New Zurich Times, has reported that NBA veteran Thabo Sefolosha has retired.
Sefolosha, who played 14 season in the league, is likely to be remembered for his contributions to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was an iron man defender for the team in 2009, playing all 82 games, played a significant role in the young team making it to the Western Conference finals and did the same when they made it all the way to the NBA finals the following year (2010-2012 seasons).
Although he did not notch many noteworthy accolades, Sefolosha was named All-NBA Defence team in 2010 and was always complimented for his contributions from various teams that he played for throughout his NBA tenure.
He was picked 13th overall in 2006 by the Chicago Bulls and played for OKC, the Atlanta Hawks, the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets, where he last held a contract in the league, which was signed in September of 2019. He also played briefly in a Turkish league.
Born in Switzerland to a Swiss mother and a South African father, Sefolosha played on the 2017 Team Africa roster at the annual NBA Africa Game held in Johannesburg, South Africa. He remains the only player of South African lineage to have played in the league.
He has been called the best Swiss basketball player of all time by the Freiburger Nachrichten and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung called him “the most unconventional Swiss top athlete” in their report detailing his retirement on March 31.
Watch this Thabo’s OKC mix, a throwback to good memories:
