Former Raptors fan favourite Ross calls it a career

Former Raptors first-round pick Terrence Ross, the 2013 NBA slam dunk champion, announced his retirement after 12 seasons in the league.

“I think I’m done … I think I got all the basketball out of me,” Ross said in latest episode of the T. Ross Podcast. “I just want to be at home with the kids and, just being on the road was becoming draining.”

The 32-year-old shooting guard/ small forward was selected eighth by the Raptors in the 2012 NBA draft, one spot ahead of Andre Drummond (Pistons) and just after Harrison Barnes (Warriors). The fan favourite spent five years in Toronto, quickly distinguishing himself as a dunker and regularly making game highlights.

Ross won the NBA all-star slam dunk contest in his rookie season, joining Raptors legend Vince Carter as the only Toronto players to win. Ross paid homage to Carter in the final round by wearing a retro No. 15 jersey.

Ross also showed flashes of being a prolific scorer and a solid threepoint shooter, though he could never do it on a consistent basis. He tied a franchise mark by scoring a career-high 51 points against the L.A. Clippers in 2014. He’s still one of only five players to reach the 50point mark in Raptors’ history: Fred Van Vleet (54), DeMar DeRozan (52), Pascal Siakam (52), Carter (51) and Ross.

Another Toronto highlight came in Game 7 of the 2014 first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets.

With the Raptors trailing by one point after he scored on a layup, Ross made an incredible leap to steal an inbound pass, bouncing it off Paul Pierce and out of bounds to give Toronto a final chance at winning the game. But the Raptors would lose the series after Pierce blocked Kyle Lowry’s shot as time expired.

Ross was packaged with a firstround pick and traded to the Orlando Magic for Serge Ibaka in 2017. Ross spent most of his career in Orlando before ending his career last season with the Phoenix Suns. He was slowed down the last two years with injuries.

Ross played 733 games in the NBA, averaging 11 points per game and shooting 41.8 per cent from the field, including 36.2 per cent from three.

He said he wants to take time to relax and be with his family for the next couple of years, but added he has signed up for some broadcast courses as he plans to “keep my foot in the door” in the NBA.