Former longtime Portland Trail Blazers swingman Will Barton is calling it a career.
The Memphis product, who last played in the league circa 2023 with the Toronto Raptors and has been plying his trade elsewhere, took to his Instagram account to announce his retirement from basketball.
13 years pro. 11 years in the NBA. Man where did the time go? Crazy when I was young I never seen the end in my vision,” Barton wrote. “But here we are. Man what a time I promise it was everything I dreamed of plus way more.”
The 6-foot-5 pro, 34, was initially selected by Portland with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and spent his first two-and-a-half seasons in the league with the Damian Lillard-era Trail Blazers. Across 144 regular season bouts in Portland, Barton averaged 3.8 points on .391/.198/.768 shooting splits, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists a night.
Appropriately enough, Barton’s first picture (in a slideshow) celebrates his early years in Portland.
GOD thank you for taking me on this amazing journey & blessing me with not only a talent but a vision & faith. Thanks to everyone who helped me at any stage or was apart of this ride at any point,” Barton added. “Close or not close you were needed & I appreciate you. I pray I gave others hope & inspired some. Ups & downs it was all worth it & this game gave me purpose.”
Barton already flashed plenty of tantalizing athleticism while in Portland, perhaps most memorably this viral moment:
He fully blossomed after a midseason trade to the Denver Nuggets, during eventual three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic’s rookie season in 2014-15. During his eight years with the Nuggets, Barton became a critical microwave scorer, finishing twice among the top four in vote recipients for Sixth Man of the Year honors.
“I look forward to the next chapter in my life. & I know that because of you basketball I’ll be ok because you taught me to never give up & keep fighting,” Barton continued. “Thank you to the greatest game ever. Thanks for changing my life forever & giving me something to believe in. I will always love you & remember everything you taught me. Cheers…to the game forever! Damn we really did it huh…still surreal even though we planned it… Thrill you did that shorty no doubt!
In his 479 healthy bouts for the Nuggets, Barton averaged 14.0 points on .438/.362/.789 shooting splits, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per bout.
After his tenure in Denver ended in 2022, he split his final NBA season between the Washington Wizards and Raptors.
All told, Barton finishes his career with averages of 11.2 points on .430/.355/.787 shooting splits, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 steals a night.
