Chauncey Billups retiring after 17 NBA seasons

Former Forever Detroit Pistons guard, 2004 finals MVP and arguably one of the greatest point guards to ever don the blue, red and white has decided to hang 'em up.

Mark J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports broke the news on Tuesday evening with quotes from Billups himself:

"It's just time. I know when it's time," Billups told Yahoo Sports. "My mind and my desire is still strong. I just can't ignore the fact that I haven't been healthy for three years. I can try again and get to a point where I think I can go, but I just can't sustain. Me not being able to play the way that I can play, that's when you kind of know it's that time.

"It's just time. I'm happy, excited. The game was very, very good to me. I felt like I was equally as good to the game the way I played it and the way I respected it and the way I carried myself through the process."

Last summer, Billups signed a two-year deal -- the second year being a team option -- to return to the Pistons after Joe Dumars freaking traded him after two games in 2009. Unfortunately, injuries plagued Billups all last season and he only played in 19 games. With the team finally put under new management in May, it didn't make much basketball sense to bring him back for the second year, so Stan Van Gundy decided that the team would not pick up Billups' option.

It didn't seem at first like Billups was ready to retire despite being let go. There were some rumblings that the career 38-percent three-point shooter could land in Cleveland with LeBron James, but obviously nothing ever materialized there.

Mr. Big Shot played 463 games with the Pistons during the prime of his career, over 16000 minutes. He shot 40 percent from long distance and averaged 17 points, 6 assists and a steal per game. He was a five-time All Star and -- yeah, I'll say it again -- he was the 2004 NBA finals MVP.

Enjoy retirement, Mr. B-B-B-Billups! Thank you for everything.

Chauncey Billups ends 17-year career having played for 8 teams. "Mr. Big Shot" won 2004 NBA Finals MVP with Pistons. pic.twitter.com/PzuwcN3tDw

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 10, 2014