Gustavo Ayon Announces Retirement

Veteran center Gustavo Ayon has announced his retirement from professional basketball, as relayed by EuroHoops. Ayon will have a farewell game on Sunday in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“It did not take long,” Ayon said about deciding to retire, according to EuroHoops. “Throughout my career, I learned to take care of my body, when I could be effective and when I couldn’t. I need more than 24 hours to recover after a game. I am retiring fully and at a good level as a player.”

Ayon, who went undrafted in 2007, made his NBA debut in 2012 and played in 135 total regular season games, making stops with New Orleans, Orlando, Milwaukee and Atlanta. The 37-year-old held per-game averages of 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds during those outings, playing an average of 16.5 minutes.

In addition to his NBA experience, Ayon spent many years competing in international leagues. He played in Mexico from 2006-09, Spain from 2009-11 and 2014-19, and Russia in 2019/20 before returning to Mexico to finish his career.

“I wanted to play basketball and be successful in teams having an important individual role,” Ayon said. “For me, that is much better than playing for 10 or 15 years in the NBA,”

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