Ex-NBA fan favorite J.J. Barea announces retirement from basketball

Basketball’s favorite 70-inch-tall player has officially called it a career.

Former Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea spoke this week with Puerto Rican outlet El Nuevo Dia and revealed that he is retiring from the sport.

“I’m ready,” said Barea, as translated by Sports Illustrated. “Last year it worked my head and I wasn’t ready. This year, yes, and I am calm about finishing. I gave it my all.”

The 38-year-old Barea had spent the last two seasons playing in his native Puerto Rico. But he will go down in NBA lore for his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks. Barea played for Dallas from 2006 to 2011 and again from 2014 to 2020 (with a three-year run on the Minnesota Timberwolves in between). The 5-foot-10 guard became a beloved player in Dallas, helping them to the 2011 title and even famously getting the better of LeBron James that year.

Barea also played the role of irritant during his NBA career but now retires having earned the respect of both the basketball community as well as of men of average height around the world.