8 all defensive first teams, and three championships later Bruce Bowen retires from the NBA.
Bowen spent his best years on the San Antonio Spurs from 2001-2009. In that span Bowen asserted himself as the best perimeter defender in the league. Statistically speaking, Bowen doesn't jump out of the pack, his name was made on hustle plays and big shots. In his retirement announcement, Bowen said, "I hope my legacy would be as someone that never was satisfied with just being where they were." Any coach will tell you that he wished all his players carried that attitude. A mindset like Bowen's is what makes good players great. Never being satisfied.
Bowen is one of those guys that are not the best player on the team, he won't score a lot of points, and he won't make many highlight reels. But players like him are absolutely necessary to win on a large scale. In the 2007 NBA Finals, when the Spurs were staring down the King himself, somebody had to go out there and shut him down. That's where Bowen makes his presence felt.
After being traded by the spurs for Richard Jefferson, and then released by the Bucks, Bowen did not have many options going into this season. If AI is having a hard time finding a job then it's safe to say that a 38 year old guard does not have much hope on the depleting free agent market.
