Detlef Schrempf Retires From NBA

P O R T L A N D, Ore., Oct. 3 -- Portland Trail Blazers forwardDetlef Schrempf has decided to call it quits after a distinguished 15-year NBA career, the Blazers announcedtoday.

“After careful consideration I have decided to retire fromthe NBA,” the 37-year-old German native said in a statementissued by the team.

The 6-foot-10 Schrempf averaged 14.1 points and6.2 rebounds per game with a .492 shooting percentage over 15seasons with Dallas, Indiana, Seattle and Portland.

More Family Time for Schrempf

He averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 77 games lastseason, his first with the Trail Blazers, to help Portlandreach the Western Conference finals.

“I would like to thank the NBA and the teams that I haveplayed for for their support,” Schrempf said. “I wouldespecially like to thank the Blazers’ organization. They are afirst-class organization and gave me the opportunity to playfor a championship-caliber team.

“I am looking forward to spending more time with my family,coaching my sons and building my business,” he concluded.

Born in Leverkusen, Germany, Schrempf was a 1985first-round draft pick out of the University of Washington bythe Dallas Mavericks for whom he played for 3 1/2 seasons.

Traded to Indiana midway through the 1988-89 season,Schrempf improved his game dramatically with the Pacers and wasvoted the league’s best sixth man in 1991 and 1992.

He was traded to Seattle to start the 1993-94 campaign andspent six seasons with the SuperSonics before joining Portlandlast season.

An excellent long-range shooter, Schrempf averaged 15points a game or better in each of his seasons with Seattle,with a career-best 19.2 points per game in 1994-95. He alsoposted more than 300 assists in a season five times.