Point guard José Juan Barea, the second Puerto Rican to win an NBA championship (Dallas Mavericks, 2011), will play his last regular season game this Monday to retire after 17 years as a professional basketball player. His current team, the Cangrejeros de Santurce, will count on him for the playoffs of the Puerto Rican competition.
Barea will say goodbye to the fans at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, home of the Cangrejeros, in San Juan.
Barea Farewell Night 🦀🐐🔥
Join us on this special night where we pay tribute to the trajectory of @jjbareapr in his last regular season game in the BSN.
Tickets available 🎟 at @ticketera. 🔗 Link in bio. #lever up #neighborhoodnoise pic.twitter.com/mtqQ5SColq
— Puerto Rican Crabbers (@CangrejerosB) June 23, 2022
Barea is averaging 14.2 points and 8 assists per game this season with the Cangrejeros, who are in second place in Group B of the League and with the opportunity to close the season with a 18-14 record to win against the Grays of Humacao.
As part of the farewell, the Cangrejeros will pay tribute to Barea, who will be accompanied by his teammates, his family and team managers, whose owner is the urban music superstar, Bad Bunny.
Barea, 37, began his professional career with the BSN’s Indios de Mayagüez in 2001.
After completing his four years playing with Northeastern University, Barea returned to the BSN in 2006 to play with the Cangrejeros, and from there he jumped to the NBA where he was active with the Mavericks from 2006 to 2020.
The international point guard also played with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA and with Estudiantes of the Spanish ACB league.
Barea also announced on June 10 his retirement from the Puerto Rico national team after a 16-year career, a “difficult” decision but with which he said he felt “calm.”
Barea’s dismissal was due to the fact that his name did not appear included in the list of 24 players summoned for the third qualifying window for the FIBA World Cup 2023.
“It’s a difficult day,” said Barea, who recalled how “important” it has been for him to wear the national team and his “love” for the national team.
“I’m not going to lie, making this decision has not been easy. But I made it in the last few days and I feel comfortable. I finally feel calm,” he added.
Barea made his debut with the adult team in 2006 at the Central American and Caribbean Games, a tournament in which he became the leader of the team by scoring a triple that gave the Puerto Ricans the gold medal.
During this time, he was the main point guard of the national team, along with former captain and now general manager of the national team, Carlos Arroyo.
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JJ Barea will have a farewell in Puerto Rico