Lacrosse superstar John Grant Jr. has announced his retirement after 17 National Lacrosse League seasons.
Grant played 238 career games with the Rochester Knighthawks and Colorado Mammoth, amassing the second most goals (668) and points (1,446), and the fifth most assists (778) in NLL history. Over his career we earned nine All-Pro selections and won two NLL MVP awards, one championship game MVP, and one Champion's Cup in 2007 with Rochester.
"I love my family, and I love lacrosse," the 42-year-old said in a statement. "The game has given so much to me. It's bittersweet to accept that my playing career is over, but I can retire knowing that I've given the sport and the people who support it everything I had.
"Thank you to the Rochester Knighthawks for drafting me, and to the Colorado Mammoth for keeping me in the game into my 40s. I'm unbelievably lucky and eternally grateful for having the chance to live out my dream as a professional lacrosse player."
Grant, the son of lacrosse legend John Grant Sr., broke into the NLL with the Knighthawks after being selected first overall in the 1999 NLL draft.
The Peterborough, Ont., native spent 11 years in Rochester, his finest campaign coming in 2007 when he won first league MVP award and led the Knighthawks to the Champion's Cup title. He scored three goals and finished with a team-best eight points to earn championship game MVP as the Knighthawks beat Arizona 13-11 in the cup final.
Grant was traded to Colorado on Oct. 27, 2010, in a blockbuster deal that involved four players and four draft picks. He won his second NLL MVP award with the Mammoth in 2012, setting the then-NLL single-season record with 116 points.
Grant's decorated career also includes five field lacrosse titles with Major League Lacrosse, as well as five Mann Cup championships with his hometown Peterborough Lakers.
Internationally, he helped Canada win three World Indoor Lacrosse Championships and two World Lacrosse Championships.
The Canadian Press
