New York Kn icks guard Cuttino Mobley has informed the team that he will retire from professional basketball following extensive medical evaluations. It has been determined that Mobley has a heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that has progressed to the point where he can no longer play.

 

“The specialists I have seen made it clear that my heart condition has gotten worse, and I cannot continue to play professional basketball without putting my health and life in serious danger,” Mobley said. “As much as I want to keep playing in the NBA, I have no choice but to follow the advice of my doctors and step away from the League.  I have had the privilege of playing in the NBA for 11 years, but my health and family must come first, and it is time to move on to the next stage in my life.

 

“This has definitely been a shocking situation for me, but I want my fans, friends and loved ones to know that I will be fine. My career has been a blessing and I am grateful to have had this experience.”

 

Mobley was acquired by New York, along with Tim Thomas, from the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 21, 2008 in exchange for Mardy Collins and Zach Randolph. Mobley never appeared in a game with the Knicks while undergoing additional medical testing prior to his retirement.

 

Mobley, 6-4, 215-pounds, was selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia, PA-native ends his NBA career with averages of 16.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 747 career games over 11 seasons with Houston, Orlando, Sacramento and L.A. Clippers.

 

The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that guard Cuttino Mobley and forward Tim Thomas have been acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for guard Mardy Collins and forward Zach Randolph.

 

“Cuttino and Tim are two veteran players that will help us work towards our joint goal of remaining competitive this season while also improving our long-term cap flexibility,” said Walsh. “Zach is an extremely talented player who produces numbers that few players can and we thank him, and Mardy, for their efforts as Knickerbockers.”

 

Mobley, 6-4, 215-pounds, was selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia, PA-native has career averages of 16.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 747 career games over 11 NBA seasons with Houston, Orlando, Sacramento and L.A. Clippers. The University of Rhode Island product averaged 12.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 77 games during the 2007-08 season with the Clippers. Mobley is averaging 13.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11 games during the 2008-09 campaign.

 

Thomas, 6-10, 240-pounds, was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the seventh overall selection in the 1997 NBA Draft and enters his second tour with the Knicks. The Paterson, NJ-native has career averages of 11.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 752 career games over 12 NBA seasons with Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Phoenix and L.A. Clippers. The Villanova product was acquired by New York during the 2003-04 season and averaged 12.9 points and 3.7 rebound in 95 games with the Knickerbockers before being traded to Chicago prior to the 2005-06 season. Last season with the L.A. Clippers, Thomas averaged 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 63 games. In 10 games this season, Thomas is averaging 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

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“Tim enjoyed a lot of success in our system a few years ago in Phoenix when he was a key part of a run to the Western Conference Finals,” Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I am also very familiar with Cuttino and his knowledge of the game, and his ability to spread the floor and defend.”

 

Collins, 6-6, 225-pounds, was selected by New York with the 29th overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft and averaged 3.7 points and 1.7 assists in 107 career games with the Knicks over three seasons. The Temple product is averaging 2.2 points and 1.1 assists in nine games this season.

 

 

Atkinson joins the Knicks after spending the 2007-08 season as the Director of Player Development with the Houston Rockets where he was responsible for improving player performance through on-court, one-on-one skill development and the use of video analysis.

 

Atkinson joined the Rockets after three years serving as the Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach with the Paris Basket Racing Club in France from 2004-06. While in Europe, Atkinson also was a Reebok EuroCamp Coach in Treviso, Italy during the summers of 2005 and 2007. He spent the 2006 summer as the Director of Player Development for the national team of the Republic of Georgia.

 

Following a standout collegiate career at the University of Richmond where he led the Spiders to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Northport, NY-native and St. Anthony’s HS (South Huntington) graduate played professionally in Italy, France, Holland, Germany and Spain from 1991-2004.