Elton Brand: Retires from NBA

Brand announced Thursday that he will retire from the NBA following a 17-year career, Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

After a 17-game cameo with the 76ers last season in which he mainly served in a mentoring role to the team's young big men, Brand was expected to head into retirement once his contract expired in July. However, after discussing his future plans with the 76ers' front office over the summer, he eventually agreed to re-sign with the team on a one-year deal prior to training camp that included a guarantee of $980,000. He was expected to essentially act as a coach off the bench, but with injuries already making roster decisions difficult for the team, Brand's 15-man spot may have been in jeopardy. Brand will officially stick around with the team until their preseason schedule concludes Friday, after which he'll be waived by the team and collect his guaranteed money. The two-time All-Star's productive career has now concluded, but it's expected that Brad will stick around the game in some capacity, perhaps even in a front office role with the 76ers.