Jerome Randle Q&A: Retirement, BAL, UNLMTED, Cal U, post-career vision

Jerome Randle's first season in the Basketball Africa Leaguewill coincide with his last as a professional basketballplayer.

Shortly after his BAL debut with U.S. Monastir of Tunisia in awinning effort over Stade Malien of Mali, Randle announced the newsover the phone.

"I'm retiring after this year," Randle revealed to BasketballNews. "There's so many things that I'm into right now as far asbuilding my brand to help kids and training and developing andthings like that. I had an opportunity to go to Spain and play inthe [LIGA] ACB. I mean, I've played there before. But it's like,okay, I've never been to Africa. I wanted to (go). Why notexperience something like this, to play in Africa?

"And the BAL is a respectful situation and I'm enjoying myself.I'm shaking a lot of hands and creating a lot of relationships forthe things that I want to do as well, so it's also a businessdecision as well. I'm excited about it, man. I'm talking to a lotof people that are making sure I'm involved in this because it's alot of potential. I know the talent is only gonna get better. We'rejust gonna see what happens."

The Chicago native is a former California Golden Bears standoutwho won the then-Pac-10 Player of the Year award in 2010 and builtan outstanding career from that point on. Aside from brief stintsin summer league, the then-D League and exhibition games, Randledid not step foot on an NBA court in the regular season. What hedid do, however, was carve his own successful career path.

From 2011 to now, Randle has played in Ukraine, Israel, Russia,Belgium, Turkey, Australia, Lithuania, France, Germany, Spain and,now, Africa. He's been a Turkish League All-Star, an LKL Championand an NBL MVP and two-time scoring champion (and an assist leader)to name a few of his accolades.