Badgers basketball legend Jon Leuer announces retirement from NBA

On Sunday, Wisconsin Badgers basketball legend Jon Leuer announced on Instagram that he will be retiring from the NBA after playing in nearly 400 games with the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns since being drafted in the second round in 2011.

“I love the game of basketball. I still want to play, but I know deep down it’s not the right decision for my health anymore. The past 3 years I’ve dealt with a number of injuries, including 2 that kept me out this whole season. It’s taken me a while to come to grips with this, but I’m truly at peace with my decision to officially retire,” Leuer wrote in his post.

Over his career, Leuer averaged 6.4 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 32.8% from three. Leuer appeared in the playoffs four times, three times with the Grizzlies and once with the Pistons. His best season came in 2016-17 when he started 34 games (playing in 75) and averaged a career-high 10.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg and a career-high 1.5 apg.

That season came after he signed a big contract with the Pistons but then injuries struck and he only played 49 games over the next two seasons and then this past offseason he was traded back to the Bucks, the team that drafted him. Leuer didn’t suit up at all this season and now, with the NBA season unsure of even being completed, he decided to hang ‘em up.

“As disappointing as these injuries have been, I’m still thankful for every moment I spent playing the game. Basketball has been the most amazing journey of my life. It’s taken me places I only could’ve dreamed about as a kid. The relationships it brought me mean more than anything. I’ve been able to connect with people from all walks of life and forged lifelong bonds with many of them. What this game has brought me stretches way beyond basketball. I’m grateful for this incredible ride and everyone who helped me along the way,” Leuer finished his Instagram post by saying.

At Wisconsin, Leuer was the leading scorer on the team during his junior and senior season, being named an honorable mention AP All-American as a senior and first-team All-B1G by the coaches. Leuer, a native of Orono, Minn., was one of 10 collegiate players invited to play on the USA Select Team in the summer of 2010 in Las Vegas and New York City, helping prepare Team USA for the 2010 FIBA World Championships, where he earned rave reviews from Villanova coach Jay Wright.

He was one of just eight players in UW history with 1,300 points and 500 rebounds and his 85 career blocks places him tenth on UW’s all-time list.

We at B5Q wish Leuer a happy and healthy retirement and hope to see him at a Badgers game this season so that the fans can pay him the respect he deserves.