Doug McDermott’s NBA run has come to an end.
The former Sacramento King has announced his retirement after 12 seasons in professional basketball, closing the book on a career that finished with him in a Kings uniform during the 2025-2026 season. It wasn’t the cleanest final chapter, with McDermott mostly coming off the bench in Sacramento, but his body of work still stands on its own.
McDermott’s basketball résumé was already loaded long before he reached the league. At Creighton, he put together a four-year college career that made him one of the most decorated players in the country. He finished as the 2014 NCAA scoring champion, earned three Consensus first-team All-American selections, and was named the 2014 National College Player of the Year.
That college dominance turned him into a first-round pick in 2014. The Denver Nuggets selected him 11th overall, then immediately moved him in a draft-night trade to the Bulls. McDermott spent most of the next three seasons in Chicago before wrapping up 2017 with the Thunder.
From there, his career took him to the Knicks, Mavericks, and Spurs, along with two separate stints with the Pacers. The first Indiana run lasted three seasons, while the second was much shorter, lasting only a few months. His final stop was Sacramento.
McDermott’s retirement came after the Kings did not re-sign him and no other team came forward with an offer. At 34, he apparently saw that as the right time to step away.
He leaves the game with a reputation as one of the better three-point shooters ever. McDermott is currently 22nd on the all-time career three-point percentage list at 41.0%.
He also wasn’t the only player to end his career after the 2025-2026 season in Sacramento. Russell Westbrook, a future Hall of Fame point guard, also retired after 18 seasons following a year with the Kings and no workable offer to continue.
McDermott’s next move hasn’t been announced, but his profile suggests a future in coaching could make sense. He has the knowledge, temperament, and skills to be a respectable coach either in the NCAA or the NBA.
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