Andrew Bogut has watched as other NBA big men and footballers became blinded by rich new contracts and, despite broken bodies, attempted to continue their careers instead of retiring.
The 31-year-old, 10-year NBA veteran hopes to play another three or four seasons, but if his body tells him to stop before then he'll listen.
"You can have all of the money in the world, but it doesn't matter if you don't have your health," Bogut told AAP on Saturday.
"If it gets to a point where I can't get out of the bed in the morning, then I'll make a decision."
The Golden State Warriors' Australian centre will earn $US13.8 million ($A19.30 million) this season and $US12.681 million ($A17.73 million) in 2016/17, the final year of his contract with the San Francisco Bay area team.
"I feel like my body is fresh and if it keeps feeling like this I'll keep playing on," Bogut said.
"Whether it's two or three years beyond my current contract, I don't really know."
It could result in Bogut playing his final game in a green and gold Boomers singlet at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
A strained Achilles tendon forced Bogut out of the Warriors' 115-112 away win over Western Conference rivals the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
The injury flared in Friday's blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, but Bogut remains bullish about helping the Warriors to another championship, leading the Boomers at the Rio Olympics and playing beyond his current NBA contract.
He credits the shedding of 10kg in the off-season to a largely injury-free season with the Warriors.
Bogut's career was almost derailed in 2010 when playing for the Milwaukee Bucks he broke his hand, dislocated an elbow and sprained a wrist after being fouled while dunking and in 2012 when he was traded to the Warriors his career was in jeopardy with microfractures in one of his ankles.
"The question a lot of big men face is: Do you want to play another two years and make a bit more money but then not be able to walk when you're 40 or do you get out a little earlier and have quality of life?" Bogut asked.
"Sometimes you get greedy.
"You see it with football players a lot.
"They get depression because their bodies are so screwed up and do some dumb things.
"I'm not a guy who wants to play into his 40s - I'm 100 per cent sure of that."
Share
