Richard Jefferson Says He’ll Play One More Year

After some back and forth, Richard Jefferson has decided he will play another season with a little help from Cleveland Cavaliers fans.

After being crowed NBA Champion for the first time in his 15-year career, Richard Jefferson told Fox Sports Ohio that he was calling it quits and was ready to retire.

After proving he had plenty left in his tank, it seemed as if Jefferson announcing his retirement was an impulse move that he made in the heat of the moment and after all, he had just won a NBA Championship after being absent from the finals since his first two seasons in the league with the New Jersey Nets.

Jefferson came up big during the Cavaliers historic finals comeback, providing a much needed boost when Kevin Love went down with a concussion. When the Cavaliers needed somebody to step up the most, he was there to provide a spark, whether it was finishing in the lane or coming up with defensive stops.

His emergence during the finals made it hard for his teammates and Cavaliers fans to see the 36-year-old go.

“My teammates keep trying to talk me out of it, and I’m like guys, this has been the most stressful month of my life. I was like, ‘I don’t know’,” Jefferson said in an interview with NBATV, per ESPN.

The fans, on the other hand, went crazy for Jefferson during the Cavaliers’ Championship parade, where he asked the 1.3 million fans in attendance if he should play another season. The response seemed to be unanimous: “one more year” the crowd chanted.

Jefferson told the fans exactly what they wanted to hear: “If you guys want me to play one more year, I’ll play one more year.”

Similarly to when he announced his retirement a few days prior, Jefferson’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt. As the offseason progresses, Jefferson will have time to make an “official” decision.

Aside from his impressive numbers during the finals, averaging 5.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 51 percent from the field, Jefferson’s biggest impact came off the court. One way Jefferson was able to bring the team together was the birth of “Lil Kev,” which was initially a Tommy Bahama from a magazine that resembled Kevin Love.

“We saw Lil’ Kev in a magazine and we just started giving Big Kev a lot of crap, even though it’s not him,” said Jefferson via ESPN. “It’s not him and that makes it even funnier.”

Love’s alter-ego really grew on the Cavaliers, and eventually became something the team embraced.

Team comradery is something that helped get the Cavaliers reach their final goal of NBA champions. Richard Jefferson played a big key in bringing the team together.

Having a veteran such as Jefferson for another season could only be beneficial for Cleveland. Not only is he reliable on both offense and defense, he has proven to be one of the driving forces in the team’s togetherness.

Although retiring on top with a NBA championship would be a perfect way to end his admirable career, Jefferson plays too big of a role on this team to call it quits right now. Who knows, maybe he can help lead the Cavaliers to a consecutive Championship?

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Should Jefferson retire on top, or should he fulfill his promise of “one more year”?