This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Former Jazz center Greg Ostertag ended his three-week pro basketball comeback Thursday, citing knee trouble, according to ESPN.com.
Having retired from the Jazz in 2006 after 10 seasons with the team and 11th years in the NBA, Ostertag joined the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League and made his debut Dec. 29. He intended to give himself about six weeks to attract a contract offer from an NBA team. Ostertag got into better condition and made some progress, posting 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots last week against Sioux Falls in front of NBA scouts in the D-League Showcase at Reno, Nev.
But he played a total of only 26 minutes in three subsequent games, including a victory Wednesday. Ostertag finished his 10-game stint with the Legends with averages of 4.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 13.3 minutes.
In a Tribune interview after his first D-League game in Frisco, Texas, Ostertag said if his comeback attempt failed, he still would "get in my truck and drive back to Arizona with a smile on my face."
Asked what motivated him to return, he said, "I just want to play. I miss it. I've missed it ever since I quit."
The 7-foot-2 center, who will turn 39 in March, told ESPN.com that his knees started bothering him soon after he returned to the court last month. "It sucks, but I knew going into this what could happen," he said.
Ostertag stands sixth on the Jazz's all-time list with 700 games played. In 2009, a Tribune-commissioned panel ranked him No. 22 among more than 200 players in franchise history.