Former Pacers center Ian Mahinmi retiring from basketball
He had his best season as a Pacer in 2016, then finished his career with the Wizards.
Former Pacers center Ian Mahinmi has decided to call it a career, retiring at age 34 after spending more than half of his life playing professional basketball.
Mahinmi told Fieldhouse Files that things were moving this way for the past year and emphasized that this was not because of the injuries that kept him off the court over the last several years.
“I feel amazing,” he said. “Never moved better in my career than last year! I’m just on to better and bigger things. It happened very smooth and organically over the last 12 months.”
Mahinmi announced the news when appearing on beIN Sports’ “NBA Extra” show.
Always the sharpest dressed player on the team, Mahinmi had his most productive years in Indy, averaging 5.5 points, and 5.0 rebounds per game from 2012-16 — mostly backing up Roy Hibbert.
After the Pacers dealt Hibbert in 2015, head coach Frank Vogel made Mahinmi the starter and was rewarded with his best season as a pro. Starting in all 71 games he played, Mahinmi averaged 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in a contract year. He was voted Teammate of the Year.
His final season with the Pacers was also the last for Vogel in Indy. And Myles Turner was a rookie lottery pick.
“S/o to my OG!” Turner wrote on Instagram. “Showed me the ropes and what it meant to WORK! Happy retirement brother!”
Mahinmi then landed a four-year deal with the Wizards worth $64 million and on his way out, said Indy will “always have a special place in my heart.” He did not play during the 2020-21 season and appeared in just 72 of 164 games with the Wizards the previous two seasons due to injuries.
He was part of the Mavericks’ championship team in 2011 under (now Pacers coach, again) Rick Carlisle.
Before then, Mahinmi spent two seasons in the D League with the Austin Toros (San Antonio’s affiliate) and then arrived in Indy via a Pacers-Mavericks trade in 2012 for Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones.
Mahinmi has plenty to keep him busy, including his daughters, a French clothing line and several Steak ‘N Shake restaurants back home in France.
One of the most genuine guys in the locker room, Mahinmi was well-regarded by his teammates and became close with both C.J. Miles and George Hill. He has a home nearby Miles, who’s a free agent, in San Antonio and enjoys traveling the world.
Mahinmi was a guest on my podcast in 2017. Listen to it in the embedded media player below: