Chauncey Billups Announces Retirement! Mr Big Shot Passes On Title Chase And Hangs Up The Sneakers! 'It's JustTime'

Chauncey Billups is playing the deepest position in the NBA, and more point guards are breaking through each season. While he was one a catalyst of a floor leader in the Big League, leading a 'star-less' Detroit Pistons team to a title.

The 2004 Detroit Pistons overcame a four Hall of Fame starting line-up presented by the Los Angeles Lakers. Billups set the tone for that conquest, and since then he finally got the recognition he deserved.

Being quite the journeyman in his later years in the league, Billups chose not to add another team to his resume.

The 1997 third overall draft pick (originally drafted by the Boston Celtics who allegedly tanked to get Tim Duncan at no.1) talked to Yahoo Sports:

It's just time. I know when it's time. My mind and my desire is still strong. I just can't ignore the fact that I haven't been healthy for three years. I can try again and get to a point where I think I can go, but I just can't sustain. Me not being able to play the way that I can play, that's when you kind of know it's that time.

It's just time. I'm happy, excited. The game was very, very good to me. I felt like I was equally as good to the game the way I played it and the way I respected it and the way I carried myself through the process."

There won't be any doubt about Billups' passion for the game and his overall demeanor. He was often acquired by teams that need locker room leadership and an inspirational leader. He has often delivered.

"I wanted to be one of the best players of my era at my position. And I did that and I earned that. No one gave that to me. I earned every single thing.

The Hall of Fame would be a big dream. It marks you down as one of the greatest players ever. It's not what I shot for, but that would absolutely be a dream. I know in my heart I had a Hall-of-Fame worthy career. If you look at most Hall of Famers, I don't know how many of them started off the way I started off and made it to the top."