Jason Richardson announces his retirement from the NBA

After 13 years in the NBA, Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Jason Richardson is walking away from professional basketball.

The 34-year-old Richardson announced his retirement Wednesday on Instagram:

Caption: Today is a bitter sweet moment for me. I'm officially announcing my retirement from pro basketball. I like to thank the organizations and fans in Charlotte, Phoenix, Orlando, Philly and especially The Bay Area for their loyal support the past 14 years. Walking away was the hardest decision I had to make but choosing my health and spending time with my family is more important to me! God bless!

Richardson broke into the NBA at the age of 21 after being selected fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors. Richardson immediately made his mark, averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and three assists in his rookie season. That production earned him a place on the All-Rookie first team.

His best season came in 2005-06 when he averaged 23.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 38.4 minutes per game.

The Michigan native went on to make his name by winning a pair of Slam Dunk competitions in 2002 and 2003. He finished second to Fred Jones in 2004.

After six productive seasons in Golden State, Richardson recast himself as a premier spot-up 3-point specialist with the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic. He made three playoff runs between 2010 and 2012, but fell far short of a title each time.

A knee injury robbed Richardson of the entire 2013-14 campaign and limited the former high-flyer to just 52 games over the past three seasons. He signed with the Hawks in August before deciding to retire.