National Basketball Association

Billups tells Yahoo Sports he's retiring

Published Sep. 10, 2014 12:30 a.m. ET

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DETROIT (AP) Chauncey Billups tells Yahoo Sports he is retiring after 17 NBA seasons.

The 2004 NBA Finals MVP says his desire is still strong, but he can't ignore the fact that he's had a hard time staying healthy. The 37-year-old Billups has played only 61 games over the last three seasons.

Billups tells Yahoo on Tuesday: ''It's just time. I'm happy, excited. The game was very, very good to me.''

Billups played this past season for the Detroit Pistons after returning to the team he led to the 2004 title. He was the third pick in the 1997 draft by the Boston Celtics. He also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, New York and the Los Angeles Clippers.