Jodie Meeks has officially retired from professional basketball

When Jodie Meeks takes the stage for Team USA on Friday — the first-ever time he’ll be representing his country — it will be the last time he calls himself a professional basketball player. Once Meeks’s run with Team USA at the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup is over, he’ll be hanging up the sneakers.

“I’m young, but in basketball, I’m a little older,” Meeks told Steve Drumwright of USAB earlier this week. “I’m no spring chicken anymore. But that’s OK. I can still move, I still feel like I can still play. And obviously I’m out here doing well. So for my career, it’s definitely been a good one and this will be the icing on the cake.”

A fresh 35 years old, Meeks will be the second-oldest player on Team USA. The former Kentucky Wildcat was named to the 12-man roster over the weekend after never once suiting up for the program throughout his impressive basketball career. Meeks will represent Team USA from Sept. 2-11 in Recife, Brazil.

Meeks confirmed with Drumwright that he will be “officially retired” from professional basketball once his time with Team USA is over. He’s married now and is raising twin girls. Meeks also confirmed that he’ll be moving straight into coaching, taking over as an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron, which is the New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliate.

“Obviously, you want to play as long as possible and then when it’s over, it’s hard to just give it up cold turkey,” Meeks told Drumwright. “So you want to stay around the game, whether that’s broadcasting or coaching or front office. But I felt like coaching was my calling card because I felt like I have so much to give to the younger generation on just the mental aspect of basketball — shooting, coverages, all those types of things.”

From beginning to end, Meeks has made his mark in the world of basketball. He was a star at Kentucky during his junior season in 2008-09, averaging 23.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting over 40 percent from distance.

The former Kentucky standout was eventually drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks No. 41 overall in 2009 and later played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors (where he won an NBA championship in 2019). 10 years, seven different teams. In that span, Meeks averaged 9.3 points per game on 42.0 percent shooting and 37.3 percent shooting from three. His best season came with the Lakers in 2013-14 when he averaged 15.7 points on 46.3 percent shooting and 40.1 percent from deep.

Earlier this month, Meeks was tabbed as an All-Star by the BIG3 along with fellow former Kentucky player Isaiah Briscoe. Meeks was an easy choice for a spot on the All-Star roster — he averaged 16.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Ball Hogs this season while shooting over 36 percent from distance (and 2-3 on 4-point shots).

Meeks has a chance to close out his playing career on one of the highest notes possible: winning a gold medal. It would put the cap on what has been a long, successful ride since he was winning Georgia Player of the Year awards at Norcross High School.

Team USA will face Mexico in the opening game on Sept. 2 at 4:40 p.m. EST. A full schedule can be found through the link here.