Matapos ang 16 taong paglalaro sa Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), tampok ang 12 na napanalunang kampeonato, nagpahayag na ng pagreretiro si Filipino-American Joe Devance.
Sa opening ng 47th Season ng liga, inaasahang hindi na makikita sa lineup ng Barangay Ginebra San Miguel ang 6'7" power forward na dating naglaro sa UTEP Miners ng University of Texas sa El Paso, Texas.
"I have mixed feelings about this post. I have spent 30 years playing basketball and the past 16 years playing professional basketball in the PBA.I have made and built so many relationships within that time that will remain in my memories for a lifetime. All the battles that I went through with all of my brothers in my career have led me to this time," ayon sa Instagram post ni Devance na mas kilala bilang "JDV" sa professional league.
"I'm sad to say that now is the time to call it a career. I gave the game of basketball my body, mind and soul, everything I had. Now is the time to focus on my kids and family," sambit nito.
Noong 2007 PBA Rookie Draft, naging 1st overall pick ito at kinuha ng Welcoat kung saan tumagallamang ito ng isang season bago inilipat sa Alaska Aces kung saan nahablot nito ang unang kampeonato sa 2010Fiesta Conference.
Nang lumipat sa Purefoods franchise, naging matagumpay din siya kung saan naging coach din nito si Tim Cone at humakot din sila ng lima pang titulo, kabilang ang Grand Slam noong 2014.
Noong 2015, nai-trade din ito sa Ginebra kung saan nakasama rin nito si Cone at tumulong sa pagsungkit ng anim na titulo kung saan ang huli ay noong 2021 PBA Governors' Cup.
"I want to thank all of the teams that I was a part of for believing in me. I want to thank all the coaches that helped guide me throughout my career. Want to thank my family for being so understanding and letting me do what I need to do to win.Most importantly I want to thank the wonderful fans of my beautiful country. Thank you for all of your support for all of the great times we had winning these championships! You guys are the best fans in the world and I please beg for you guys to still support the PBA," dagdag pa ni Devance.