Former Purdue standout and NBA second-round pick Robbie Hummel announced late on Tuesday night that he has decided to step away from playing professional basketball (Twitter link). Although he’ll retire as a player, the 28-year-old will remain connected to the game, having accepted positions at The Big Ten Network and ESPN to cover college basketball.
“The highs of playing on a Purdue team that got to be ranked as high as No. 3 in the country, playing in the NBA for two seasons, and getting to travel the world playing a game as my job are things that I’ll never forget and cherish,” Hummel wrote in his announcement.
“The sad reality of this is, I’ve just had a tough time staying healthy since my sophomore year of college,” he continued. “Last season was difficult for me living abroad. It got to the point where there were many nights I wondered if I was cheating a game I love by not being 100% all in. That’s never been me with this game, and because of that, a change has become something I feel is necessary.”
A 6’8″ forward, Hummel was drafted in 2012 by the Timberwolves with the 58th overall selection. After spending a season overseas as a draft-and-stash prospect, Hummel returned stateside and made his debut for the Wolves in the 2013/14 season.
Over the course of two years in Minnesota, Hummel appeared in 98 total games for the club, averaging 3.9 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 14.3 minutes per contest. Following his stint with the Wolves, Hummel played for teams in Italy and Russia, and was with the Nuggets for training camp a year ago, but didn’t appear in an another NBA game.
Goodnight sweet prince, we hardly knew ya.
Unless you count his 15-Year college career.
lol