JC Intal is hanging his sneakers for good, he announced late Sunday night.
The 37-year-old high-flyer announced his decision to retire from basketball n a lengthy Instagram post, putting to a close a 13-year PBA career.
"After two decades of playing the sport I love, 13 years of which in the PBA, I am officially announcing my retirement from basketball," the Phoenix Super LPG forward wrote.
"Words cannot express how grateful I am to every single person who helped me make this journey possible - from playing for two years in Letran for high school, to five years in Ateneo for college, and 13 years in the pro league."
Intal was drafted fourth overall in the 2007 PBA Draft by Air21, before bouncing around teams like Ginebra, B-Meg, and Phoenix.
He won a championship with the Llamados in the 2012 Commissioner's Cup and was part of the silver medal-winning Gilas Pilipinas team in the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship in Changsha.
The 6-foot-4 Intal averaged 5.5 points on 26-percent shooting, on top of 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16.3 minutes for the Fuel Masters in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup bubble in Clark, where Phoenix Super LPG made it to as far as the semifinals.
The former Ateneo star from Pampanga said calling time on his career gives him a bittersweet feeling.
"It is a bittersweet feeling for me to say goodbye to the game that has been a huge part of my life, but I am moving forward feeling happy and proud knowing I made the most of the privilege to play basketball professionally," he continued.
"It has been the honor of my life to play basketball. From the bottom of my heart, again, thank you. #RocketOut"
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