Former NBA superstar Blake Griffin announced his retirement from basketball  on Tuesday morning. The six-time NBA All-Star began his career with the LA Clippers, putting that franchise on the map before being traded to the Detroit Pistons where he took them to the playoffs with another All-NBA campaign.

Griffin finished his career with the Boston Celtics, where he was a beloved veteran who helped mentor their roster while also being a productive option off the bench. Had he decided to continue playing, Griffin had a spot saved for him in Boston.

When asked about his former teammate’s retirement, Celtics veteran Al Horford said, “Great teammate. Everybody here, we love Blake. There was a long hope that maybe he was gonna be around in some way [this season]. Just a lot of good memories with him. The year that he was here, he made it enjoyable for me. Just fun to come in and to work with him every day, and getting to talk to him and getting to know him with some of the things off the court and him as a person, just a great guy.