After 21 years as a professional basketball player, Puerto Rican José Juan Barea announced his retirement, leaving behind an enormous legacy both in his country’s league and in the NBA. Next, we will tell you everything that the point guard achieved after his long career.
Since arriving in the league in 2006, Barea has struggled to carve out a niche for himself in the NBA, taking on a reserve role during his first two years with the NBA. Dallas Mavericks and starting to gain prominence from its third season.
Coach Rick Carlisle began employing him as one of his favorite rotation players as a playmaker until his departure in 2010 in free agency. After three years in the Minnesota Timberwolves he returned to the organization and for six more seasons he became one of the team’s leaders, asserting his status as a veteran until his departure in 2020.
The pinnacle of Barea’s NBA career came in the 2010-11 season, in what would be the final year of his contract with the Mavericks. He was alongside Jason Kidd in assisting the efforts of the likes of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry on their way to the Finals, ultimately upsetting LeBron James’s Miami Heat in six games.
Barea was very important throughout the playoffs, especially in the conference semifinals sweep against the Lakers and in the Finals. He ended up averaging 9 points and 3.5 assists in 19 minutes per game throughout the postseason, which earned him his only championship ring.
Barea was part of the Puerto Rican national team in official competitions from very early on, debuting in the under-19 category in 2003 and doing all the merits to play with the senior team in 2006. He was twice the MVP of Centrobasket, in addition to leading his country to two finals of the FIBA Americas Championship. He played the FIBA World Cup in 2014 with an outstanding participation despite being eliminated in the second round.
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JJ Barea’s achievements in professional basketball