Jacki Gemelos retires from professional basketball

On Friday, the Washington Mystics announced that guard Jacki Gemelos retired from professional basketball. In a press release, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Thibault said the following:

“Jacki energized our team at a crucial point last season. Her love of the game has always been evident, and I am sorry that her injuries have caught up to her. Thanks for giving us your all.

Gemelos played 12 games for Washington as a midseason addition, averaging 3.2 points per game. She played two WNBA seasons, including in 2015 for the Chicago Sky. While her career was short in America, Gemelos had a long professional career, including in Spain and Greece.

As Thibault noted, Gemelos suffered injuries throughout her career, especially during her college days at USC (Southern California) which forced her to miss the 2006-07 through 2008-09 seasons (three years) where she went through multiple knee surgeries. Gemelos was also a McDonald’s All-American coming into college so it’s unfortunate to see that her career was hampered early on. But it’s also just as inspiring to see her have a successful career overseas and make it back to the WNBA despite her injuries.

Congratulations on a successful career, Jacki!