Jeremy Lamb has announced his retirement from professional basketball on his Instagram page. Now 32 years old, the six-foot-five guard played 10 seasons in the NBA for four different teams, last appearing in the league in the 2021-22 season. He will forever be remembered by the UConn faithful as a national champion. Lamb spent last season playing for the Stockton Kings in the G League where his year was cut short due to an ankle injury.
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10-Year NBA Veteran Announces Retirement On Instagram
Lamb Was A Part Of Two Major NBA Trades
Lamb was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. He never played for the team that drafted him though. Prior to the beginning of the 2012-13 season, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the deal that sent future MVP James Harden to Houston. Lamb spent his first three seasons playing for Oklahoma City.
In the 2015 offseason, Lamb was shipped to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Luke Ridnour and a 2016 second round pick. Lamb played four seasons with Charlotte and saw more consistent playing time than he did with the Thunder. In 2018-19, his last season with the Hornets, he set many career-high averages including minutes (28.5), points (15.3), rebounds (5.5), and steals (1.1).
It was off of that career year that Lamb was able to capitalize. In the 2019 offseason, he signed a three-year contract worth $31.5 million to join the Indiana Pacers. He was utilized as Indiana’s starting shooting guard during the 2019-20 season until a torn ACL prematurely ended his season. Lamb missed the beginning of the following season before making his return in January of 2021.
Lamb would again be involved in a blockbuster trade. He was dealt to the Sacramento Kings at the 2022 trade deadline. That deal also gave Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis and saw Indiana receive guard Tyrese Haliburton. Lamb would play 17 games for the Kings the rest of the season in what was his last NBA action.
Altogether, Lamb would appear in 573 NBA regular season games. He posted career averages of 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Lamb shot 43.9% from the field, 34.2% from three-point territory, and 85.7% from the foul line in his career.
Won A National Championship With UConn in 2011
Prior to his NBA career kicking off, Lamb played his college ball at UConn. Head coach Jim Calhoun inserted him into the starting lineup from the get-go as a freshman in 2010-11. He would end the year as their second-leading scorer only behind Kemba Walker. Lamb would up his scoring even more in the NCAA Tournament and ended with UConn defeating Butler in the National Championship Game. In that championship game, Lamb scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Lamb would play one more season for UConn in 2011-12. While the team didn’t nearly have the success of the previous season, Lamb often excelled in an expanded role with Walker having entered the 2011 NBA Draft. Lamb would be named to the All-Big East First Team and declared for the 2012 NBA Draft.
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