Paul Millsap, who spent four of his 16 NBA seasons with the burgeoning Denver Nuggets, announced his retirement from basketball Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Millsap, 39, most recently suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022. He averaged 13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in a career that spanned five teams and four All-Star Game appearances.
When he signed with Denver for three years and $90 million in 2017, it marked one of the most significant free-agent acquisitions in franchise history. Millsap shepherded a young roster on the rise for the next four seasons, shooting 37.1% from 3-point territory and upgrading the Nuggets’ defense as they missed the playoffs by one game in his first season then made it the next three.
“When I saw the news, I reached out to him and congratulated him on a hell of a career,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I feel really fortunate that I’ve had a chance to get to know Paul Millsap, his family. … I feel very fortunate to know that I have a relationship with a guy like ‘Sap.”
Millsap’s leadership and timely energy were essential ingredients of a breakthrough run to the Western Conference Finals in the 2020 pandemic bubble, where the Nuggets overcame 3-1 series deficits in back-to-back playoff rounds. They trailed by as many as 16 points facing elimination against the Clippers in a memorable Game 5 before Millsap got into a scuffle with Marcus Morris just before halftime. It brought life back to his team. Millsap scored 14 of his 17 points in the third quarter, cutting the gap to 80-73 and setting the stage for Denver’s 111-105 win — the beginning of a much larger comeback.
“We’re not going to let these guys come in here and just push us around. I think that’s what really sparked it,” the veteran power forward said afterward. “We wanted to prove a point that we’re not going to be bullied, that we’re not going to be intimidated.”
Millsap shifted into more of a bench role by the end of the 2020-21 campaign. After his time with the Nuggets ended, he joined the Brooklyn Nets and was traded with James Harden to Philadelphia. The forward finishes his career as one of eight players in NBA history with 500 made 3-pointers, 1,000 blocks and 1,000 steals.
“I think he was a guy that was one of the many examples of a guy that wasn’t here for the championship, (but) that was a big part of that championship,” Malone said. “And I think that’s the best way you can kind of put it in terms. Even though he wasn’t here when we hung a banner, didn’t get a ring, Paul Millsap helped lay a foundation and establish a culture that allowed us to be a team that could win a championship with his toughness.”
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