Antonio McDyess was waived by the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, clearing a path to retirement for the 17-year NBA veteran.
McDyess indicated at the end of last season that his playing days were over, but the Spurs didn’t rule out his return after the lockout ended. The move clears $2.6 million from the team payroll.
As a prep, McDyess was one of the top 30 players nationally, and made the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic. McDyess played college basketball at the University of Alabama. In 1995 he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers as the second pick in the NBA Draft and was traded to the Denver Nuggets before the season began for fellow power forward Rodney Rogers and a mid-first round pick that turned out to be Brent Barry. McDyess’s explosive leaping and power dunking ability allowed him to average 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over his first six seasons.
The 37-year-old spent the last two seasons in San Antonio where he averaged 12 points and 7.5 rebounds in his career. He was an All-Star in 2001 and played on the 2000 Olympic team.
