Luis Scola, one of the most respected and acclaimed basketball players in the 21st century, has retired at the age of 41, finishing a professional career that spanned more than two decades. Scola was one of the first EuroLeague superstars when the competition started in 2000. He helped Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz reach three consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours from 2005 to 2007, making it to the championship game in 2005. Scola reached another EuroLeague Finals with Baskonia in 2001, losing against Kinder Bologna on a memorable five-game playoffs series.
"It wasn't really difficult to stop playing because I think it was a natural choice for me," Scola said on Wednesday in a press conference announcing his new role as CEO for Pallacanestro Varese of Italy. "My body was not reacting the same way and each month was worse than the previous one, and I had to do more things to play at the level I like. This is why it was a natural choice for me to stop playing. I feel quiet about not playing anymore because it was difficult. When it came to games and competing, it was not a problem, but going day by day, every week, was difficult."