Kaun revealed in an interview Saturday with Gary Bedore of the Lawrence Journal-World that he will retire from professional basketball. "I was very blessed and fortunate to play as long as I have. I had a great experience for the [Russian] national team and professionally. Overall, it's been phenomenal," Kaun said.

After being selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft, Kaun played seven seasons for Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow before making his NBA debut with the Cavaliers in 2015-16. He and teammate Timofey Mozgov would go on to become the first Russian-born players to win an NBA title after the Cavs defeated the Warriors in the Finals, but Kaun played a very minimal role in the team's overall success, appearing in no postseason contests and just 25 regular-season contests, averaging 3.8 minutes per game. The 31-year-old was traded to the 76ers earlier this offseason and subsequently released, but he still had opportunities to play overseas or join an NBA team on a training camp invite had he elected to keep playing. Kaun said that an ankle injury has presented problems for him throughout his career, and with the pain worsening as he's aged, he decided it was best to preserve his health for the long haul.