Former Warrior Shaun Livingston announces retirement, pens emotional farewell

FILE PHOTO: Shaun Livingston #34 of the Golden State Warriors answers questions from the media after the Warriors 104-89 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 2, 2016 in Oakland, California. less FILE PHOTO: Shaun Livingston #34 of the Golden State Warriors answers questions from the media after the Warriors 104-89 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on ... more Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Former Warrior Shaun Livingston announces retirement, pens emotional farewell 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

Veteran point guard Shaun Livingston, who spent the last five seasons with the Golden State Warriors, announced his retirement from the NBA on social media Friday morning.

"After 15 years in the NBA, I'm excited, sad, fortunate and grateful all in one breath," Livingston wrote in an Instagram post. "Hard to put into a caption all of the emotions it takes to try and accomplish your dreams. I wasn't supposed to be here. Anybody that has beat the odds understands the mental and emotional strain it takes to inspire yourself on an uphill war, let alone inspire others."

Livingston suffered a horrific knee injury in 2007, tearing his ACL, PCL and lateral meniscus as well as spraining his MCL and dislocating his patella. He returned from the injury and played another 11 seasons in the NBA.

"'The injury' gave me a chance to find and prove to myself (and the world) that I wouldn't be defined by my circumstances," he wrote. "With my time in the League what I will be most proud of is the fact that my character, values and faith were tested, and I persevered."

After signing with the Warriors in 2014, Livingston was around for all three of the team's NBA Finals wins this decade. He discussed joining the Warriors' front office with general manager Bob Myers during the season.

"I'm just kind of planting seeds and letting people know that when it's all over, that's what I'd like to do," Livingston said at the time.

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After Livingston announced his retirement, Myers issued a statement praising the point guard's professionalism.

"Shaun Livingston's story is one of the most inspirational in the history of professional sports," Myers said. "What he accomplished after suffering so many trials and tribulations early in his career is a true testament to who he is as a person, which has always been characterized by tremendous class, grace and professionalism. He represents everything that you'd want in a professional athlete and, most importantly, in a human being."

In his retirement post, Livingston thanked his family for all of their support and also thanked the many teammates, coaches and trainers he's had over the years.

"To all of my teammates, coaches, TRAINERS, staff, my journey is a collection of experiences, and those of you that helped me along the way, THANK YOU!" he wrote. "To all the fans and anybody else that inspired me, supported me, cheered for me, or even said good words about me, THANK YOU. 'The greatest gift we can give is service to others.'"

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting