Former Suns great Shawn Marion announces he will retire after this season

When Shawn Marion headed to the Cleveland bench late in last week's game at US Airways Center, "The Matrix" was saying goodbye to Phoenix.

Marion said he plans to retire after this season with Cleveland, ending a 15-year NBA career that was mostly spent as a star with the Suns.

When the Suns drafted Marion in 1999, Marion set a goal to play 15 seasons. The 36-year-old believes he could play another three seasons but being away from his first child, 8-month-old Shawn, has convinced him to retire after this season with the Cavaliers.

"I wanted to go out on my terms," Marion said. "The biggest thing is having a son. I got attached to him. Seeing him periodically is hard. Watching him grow up on pictures and videos is hard."

Marion considered retirement last summer but chose to sign with Cleveland mostly for a chance at a second championship ring and the proximity to his son in Chicago.

Marion was part of a championship team with Dallas in 2011 but his 8 ½ seasons with the Suns will define his career. The Suns drafted him with the No. 9 overall pick in 1999; he left with a strong legacy in Phoenix when he was traded for Shaquille O'Neal in 2008.

All four of Marion's All-Star seasons came with the Suns, who he helped to six postseasons that included Western Conference playoff runs in 2005 and 2006.

"I was able to grow as a player and watch the city grow at the same time," Marion said of his time in the Valley. "I really wish I could've won a title in Phoenix. When you spend that much time with an organization and do what I did there, you feel like it's part of you. The fans there know I came to play and laid it on the line.

"It was a special time. Those were special fans in Phoenix. It'll always have a part of me. I'm always going to keep a place there."

Marion averaged 18.4 points and 10.0 rebounds during his time with the Suns and is a fixture among the franchise's career leaders. Only Alvan Adams recorded more rebounds, steals or minutes played with the Suns than did Marion, who also ranks third in blocked shots, third in field goals made, fourth in points and fourth in 3-pointers made.

Marion is a Suns Ring of Honor candidate. He said he has looked up at the ring on Phoenix visits, like last week's final one, and thought the same.

"It'd be hard not to have me up there when you look at what I did," Marion said.

Marion evolved as a player in Phoenix and bridged eras of the franchise. He signed a six-year, $79 million contract extension with the Suns in 2002 as part of the team's rebuilding. He became an All-Star the next season but flourished even more as a new mold of power forward with athleticism and 3-point shooting in Mike D'Antoni's system that featured Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire.

"I went from being a high flier to shooting 3s to being a slasher to all kinds of things to win," said Marion, a 2004 Olympian. "I had to reform myself.

"I'm a role player now. I became a superstar in Phoenix."

Marion had short stints in Miami and Toronto before he signed in 2009 with Dallas, where he played five seasons. He was still starting for the Mavericks last season, averaging 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds. This season, he has played a part-time starting role for Cleveland, averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game.

Early in Marion's career, Suns staff wondered how long his surgically repaired knees would allow him to play with his remarkable spring and speed. His athleticism stuck around and he continued to be reliable.

By the end of this season, Marion likely will be in the NBA's all-time top 25 for minutes played in a neighborhood with Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell. He also will probably rank in the NBA all-time top 20 for steals and defensive rebounds.

Marion will continue playing basketball, just not professionally. He spent part of last offseason playing in a 35-and-older league in Chicago.

"It's been a great ride," Marion said. "I really wish I could've brought a championship to Phoenix. But it was awesome."

Shawn Marion

NBA draft: Selected No. 9 by the Suns in 1999.

Notable: Marion was a four-time All-Star for Phoenix, where he played the first 8 ½ of his 14 seasons and averaged 18.4 points and 10.0 rebounds. In franchise history, he is second in steals and rebounds, fourth in points and third in blocks. He was top seven in the league for steals in six consecutive seasons. Phoenix traded him and Marcus Banks for Shaquille O'Neal. He is the most productive player of his draft class.