Worthy De Jong (1.93m, 34 years old) is one of the few Dutch players to have entered the European basketball record books. At 34, he announced his retirement at the end of the season.
De Jong is the only player in FIBA Europe Cup history to reach 100 steals, while ranking in the top 10 in points (4th), assists (4th), rebounds (6th) and counters (6th).
The Dutch international is ending a 13-year professional career which began in 2009 after spending the majority of that time with ZZ Leiden. He also played for Boulogne-sur-Mer in the 2016-17 season.
“I played professional basketball for 13 years and gave it my all on the basketball court,” he told the FIBA website. “Every practice and every game, I gave 100% to get the most out of it with my team. I am very grateful to the organization, sponsors, volunteers and fans of Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden for all the wonderful years I have been able to play here. I can remember a fantastic period of my life, during which I was able to make my passion for basketball my profession. »
De Jong averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in the current FIBA Europe Cup season as Leiden qualified for the semi-finals for the first time of its history.
He could bow out of EuroBasket 2022 if he is selected by the national team before turning to 3×3 basketball.
Photo : FIBA
