Shawn Marion Announces Retirement Plans

Darth Vader never did find those Death Star plans for the empire, but a major piece of the Mavericks one year dynasty, Shawn Marion, announced today that he would retire at season’s end after 16 productive years in the NBA.

Exit terrible joke, enter “The Matrix.”

This Trix is a Kid

“The Matrix” was part of the revolutionary SSOL (“Seven Seconds or Less”) Phoenix Suns offense from 2004-2008 before General Manager Steve Kerr dealt him to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal. Marion spent an extremely forgettable year and a half in Miami and then was dealt to Toronto for another O’Neal, this time Jermaine O’Neal, where he spent an even more unremarkable season with the Raptors before entering free agency and becoming a Dallas Maverick through a sign-and-trade.

Became a Dallas Maverick.

In 2011, he became an NBA champion.

Now with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a 1-year minimum deal, Shawn Marion recognizes both on court and off court variables that have pushed him towards the decision to hang up four #31 jerseys, a #7 but most importantly a #0.

"“I wanted to go out on my terms,” Marion said. “The biggest thing is having a son. I got attached to him. Seeing him periodically is hard. Watching him grow up on pictures and videos is hard.”"

Nobody can find a fault in that logic, and “Trix” has most certainly, absolutely earned it.

Drafted 9th overall in 1999 (Fun Fact: Atlanta chose Jason Terry 10th), Shawn Marion quickly became one of the more prominent all-around weapons in the NBA, especially when Steve Nash (more close connected irony if I may) left Dallas for the Suns in 2004 via Free Agency.

After a superb rookie season with 10.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.0 BPG and 0.7 SPG, things just went legendary numbers wise for Marion.

From 2000-2007 he averaged 18.6 points, a clean 10 rebounds (with an impressive 2.6 offensively) 2 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks. He also He was annually a top selection in fantasy drafts, simply because he was your do-it-all guy. (He and Andrei Kirilenko, in that era)

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He was durable, playing in 79 or more games in all of his years in Phoenix, excluding his rookie season and the 2007-2008 campaign that saw him traded to South Beach.

On top of all these stunning intangibles, from 2002-2007 he shot 35% from downtown and 83% from the free throw line, averaging 1.3 3’s and 2.9 free throws a contest.

Everything dipped after he was broken away from Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni‘s system, but two years later upon return to a contender in the Dallas Mavericks, Marion’s career, albeit in a different form, regained the spark that was lost on the East Coast.

He became more of an inside man, trading his unique two handed heave from behind the line to a newly christened one handed floater in the paint.

Trix averaged 11.6 points, 7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, a steal and 0.6 blocks in his time with the Mavs, but most importantly was instrumental from performance to chemistry to Shawn Marion just being Shawn Marion that led the Dallas Mavericks to the franchise’s first NBA Championship in 2011.

This year in Cleveland, provided he doesn’t go nuts from here on out, will be the only year in Marion’s storied career where he doesn’t average double digit scoring. This from a guy who was known for and took pride in doing all the little things.

Shawn Marion will be remembered for his 8 1/2 years in Phoenix, his 2011 ring in Dallas, but we’d be kidding ourselves if it wasn’t that hideous jumper we all grew to love (and a lot of times, hate) that he brought to the league.

A fun video of he and Dirk in a San Antonio pregame shoot around.

Cheers to Trix, forever loved in Dallas and of course Phoenix, but that big piece of jewelry he’ll carry around with his son forever speaks for itself.

Photo Credit: Mike Segar

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