NBA 2018: 5 Lesser Known Retirements This Past Offseason

#4 David West

David West at the end of the 2018 NBA Finals - Game Four

Calling curtains on your career after 2 consecutive NBA Champions is not bad timing on David West's part.

He has been a very reliable backup forward for the past 3 seasons [2 with the Golden State Warriors and one with the Spurs]. But prior to that, West was an invaluable power forward for both of his teams before that - the Pacers and New Orleans Hornets.

Also drafted in the 2003 Draft, West was picked 18th overall by the Hornets. In his third season [2005-06] with the team, West finished second in the Most Improved Player voting. With the franchise drafting Chris Paul in the next offseason, he and Paul made the Hornets a force to reckon with the West. Unfortunately, with the talent around them, the best they could do was a second-round exit in the 2008 Playoffs.

In 2011, West opted out of his deal with the Hornets and signed with the Pacers. It took a while for the team to shape up around him and Hibbert but once it did, he resigned with the team in 2013. As mentioned earlier, the Pacers made noise in the East, only to lose twice in two years to the Heat.

Just like Hibbert, the Pacers stuck with the West and that core for another year but it simply didn't work out. So West moved back to the Western Conference and signed as a back-up with the Spurs. His one-year stint still didn't get him that elusive NBA Championship. In the summer of 2016, he went to California and joined Kevin Durant to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

After that, well, history happened. A couple of years later after two championships to his name, West announced his retirement in the lull days of the summer on August 30th.