Former Boston Celtics big man announces retirement

After 11 seasons in the NBA, former Boston Celtics big man Mike Muscala has announced his retirement from basketball, per OKC Thunder beat writer Joel Lorenzi. Muscala only played in Boston for three months, but Celtics fans loved watching “Moose” knock down 3-pointers during his brief time in green. 

At the 2022-23 trade deadline, Boston traded Justin Jackson and two second-round picks for Muscala, who fit right into Joe Mazzulla’s perimeter-oriented offense. The veteran sharpshooter nailed 38.5% of his threes in 20 games as a Celtic, and he converted 50.0% of his threes in limited postseason playing time. 

In his Celtics debut, Muscala let it fly with four 3-pointers in 15 minutes off the bench. Musky made an instant impact for Boston with 16.2 minutes per game across his 20 appearances on an elite 62.3% true shooting.

While the Celtics were still a year away from hoisting Banner 18 when they had Muscala, Cs fans appreciated the NBA journeyman and his helpful contributions. As the regular season winded down with stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown getting extra rest, Muscala started in four games and averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds across those starts. As a starter, Muscala shot 53.7% from the field and 40.7% from three with a 67.6% true shooting mark. 

In Boston’s 2022-23 regular-season finale, Muscala exploded against the Atlanta Hawks – the team he started his career with back in 2013. Playing in the twilight of his career, Muscala turned back the clock and had a career-high scoring night. He poured in 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting with four 3-pointers. 

Muscala’s masterclass helped the Celtics end the season with a six-point win, and that game marked a performance Muscala will never forget.

Muscala was most known for his time with the Hawks and the Thunder. He ended his career with the Thunder, where he enjoyed his most productive scoring seasons. During the 2020-21 season, Muscala averaged a career-best 9.7 points in 18.4 minutes per game.

The moment he arrived in Boston, Muscala showed love for the organization and its fans. After his debut, he shouted out the Celtics faithful.

"You can just tell the fans love the game here (in Boston). It was just a blessing, it was fun."

- Mike Muscala

Muscala can look back on a highly productive NBA career as he begins the next chapter of his life. Celtics fans appreciated Muscala’s time with the organization, as did fans of every other team he played for.