Matt Bonner announces his NBA retirement via a clever video, Twitter debut

Matt Bonner has retired from professional basketball. The longtime San Antonio Spurs sharpshooter, who was working in 2016-17 without an NBA team, decided to announce the news via his new Twitter page on Friday in the form of a video.

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After a 12-year career marked as much by good humor as it was made shots and championship runs, the 36-year old went out with his own inimitable tone working at perfect pitch:

For those that might take umbrage at Bonner insisting that you remember him for his gliding dunks in the paint, do recall that this man is a former dunk competition champion:

Originally drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2003, Bonner was immediately dealt to Toronto as a draft-and-stash pick following four seasons in Florida (where he made the national championship game as a freshman, in 2000, prior to making the All-American Academic team in his junior and senior seasons). After two seasons spent mostly coming off of the bench for the Raptors, the New Hampshire native blossomed after Toronto dealt him to San Antonio for center Rasho Nesterovic. Bonner would go on to win a title in his first season with the Spurs in 2006-07.

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Bonner never played more than half a game (topping out at 23.8 minutes per contest in 2008-09) and would only become a regular starter (during that same season) once during his time in Texas, but his ability to sop up minutes at several frontcourt positions while keeping the touch warm from outside made him a fixture on the celebrated franchise – his ten-year run outlasted all members of the Spurs dynasty not named “David Robinson,” “Tim Duncan,” “Manu Ginobili” or “Tony Parker.”

Shooting 41 percent on his career from long range, including a league-leading 45.7 percent clip in 2010-11, Bonner helped usher in the era of the stretch power forward. He never averaged double-figure points in a season, but he remained a constant source of fret and fear while perched behind the three-point line, ready to unleash a jumper that seemed to come uncorked from the back of his right ear.

With the help of brother Luke Bonner, a fellow pro player that worked overseas, Bonner (a stranger to public social media until the retirement announcement) wielded his good charm and influence in encouraging the NBA to include him in the 2013 Three-Point Contest, one that saw Matt fall in the finals to winner Kyrie Irving. Oddly, Bonner was not asked back the year after, despite the presence of Arron Afflalo in the eventual lineup of participants.

Bonner enjoyed career averages of 5.8 points and three rebounds in just under 17 minutes a contest during his NBA run, winning another championship ring in 2014. He and his brother Luke continue to run the non-profit Rock On Foundation, which “serves to increase community artistic and athletic opportunities.”

According to Bonner’s second-ever tweet, he will join San Antonio’s local FOX affiliate as a studio analyst:

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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