Brazil great Splitter retires from basketball

RIO DE JANEIRO - Long-time Brazil center Tiago Splitter has announced his retirement from basketball at the age of 33.

The 2.11m (6ft 11in) center, who played at the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cups and also shone at the 2012 Olympics, never returned to top form after electing in early 2016 to have an operation on his right hip.

He did not recover in time to play for Brazil when they hosted the 2016 Olympics. Splitter did return to playing in the NBA but struggled with hamstring and calf injuries.

In an interview with globoesporte.globo.com, Splitter said: "I'm going to stop playing. This is a decision that I took in the past few months. It's not something I want, but the hip injury was more problematic than people anticipated. It's a very difficult time because I'm going to stop doing something that I've done throughout my entire life.

"I remember being on a basketball court since being me. I talked with my family, my wife, with everyone else and really the time has come to hang up my (basketball) shoes.

"I also want to be involved in basketball, which has given everything to me."

Staying involved in basketball will not be a problem.  Splitter not only worked for Brazilian television at the 2016 Olympics but has started his own YouTube channel and was hard at work over the weekend at the NBA All Star Game.

Splitter, who became Brazil's first NBA champion in 2014 while a member of the San Antonio Spurs, was later on the books of Atlanta and then Philadelphia, whom he played some for last season.

He had the advantage during the All Star Weekend that all of the players he was interviewing, including LeBron James, already know him.

Splitter garnered a lot of respect in Spain, where he spent most of his career before leaving for the NBA.

He was a huge success at Baskonia in Vitoria, capturing Spanish ACB (Liga Endesa) crowns in 2008 and 2010. Splitter was the MVP of both the Play-Off Finals in 2010, and the league.

Splitter was a leading player in the Brazil sides that won the 2005 and 2009 FIBA Americas Championships (FIBA AmeriCups). His last tournament with Brazil was the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

FIBA