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Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett announce retirement

Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce announced on The Players Tribune that this season will be his last as a player in the NBA.

"It's time to move on from the game of basketball," he wrote. "Just like any difficult decision, I think you've got to be at peace with yourself. I'm at peace with retiring, but I've got one more ride left. One more season. One more opportunity."

Pierce, 38, was originally selected by the Celtics in the first round of the 1998 draft, with the 10th overall pick. He played 15 seasons in Boston, winning a championship in 2008 and returning to the NBA Finals in 2010.

He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Jason Terry and Kevin Garnett in 2013 and spent one season in Brooklyn, before playing with the Wizards in 2015 and the Clippers in 2016.

"After 18 NBA years, it's hard to believe I'll be playing in each arena for the last time," Pierce wrote. "So I'm going to enjoy every practice, every bus ride, every team dinner, every time running out through the tunnel. I'm going to do my part to give us a shot at the ultimate goal."

Pierce was named MVP of the NBA Finals in 2008,  when the Celtics beat the Lakers for the championship. He teamed with Garnett and Ray Allen to form "The Big Three" that led Boston to the title.

He is a 10-time NBA All-Star.

Pierce's announcement came three days after Garnett posted a video on Instagram, saying, "farewell" and "thank you" after 21 seasons in the NBA.

The Associated Press reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves plan to waive Garnett so he can collect all of his $8 million salary for next season.

"I'm just thankful, man. I can't ever put that into words. I'm just thankful," Garnett said in the video. "I'm just thankful for everybody, and the love, I never would've thought that people would love me like this, but for it to be reality is just something else. Man. We gonna be (all right), man. I don't expect this to be easy, but so far, so good. Stay tuned."

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To be continued...

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Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan are among other notable athletes who retired this year.