IO – The midfielder in the Pelita Jaya Indonesia Basketball League (IBL) team, Adhi Pratama Prasetyo Putra, has decided to retire as a professional basketball player. A cartilage injury in his knee that never recovered caused Adhi to decide to retire.
“The injury made it impossible for me to play optimally. I have to operate and rest for 1 or 2 years if I want to recover. And even so it is not guaranteed that I will fully recover. There is no certainty,” he said.
If forced, Adhi might still be able to play a few minutes in one game. “The hard thing is during training,” he explained.
Adhi does not want himself or the club to wait without certainty. “I don’t want to be at the club but without a maximum contribution. I also have to decide for my future,” he said.
Adhi will not leave basketball. “I still have a school and a basketball community in Depok Nation. Playing basketball is possible for me but not at the IBL level,” he said. There are several offers to work outside the basketball court that will be considered by Adhi in the future.
Adhi initially joined Hangtuah when he was 16 years old. Previously, he was engaged in athletics and almost had the chance to compete in the All Indonesia Student Sports Week (POPSI).
After five years with Hangtuah, Adhi then joined Pelita Jaya (PJ). He was then selected as the 2015 NBL Indonesia regular MVP and won a car prize. Unfortunately, the club was only a runner-up under Satria Muda.
The following year, Adhi and PJ returned to the IBL finals but failed at the hands of CLS Knights. Only in 2017, Adhi and PJ were able to win the title. At that time Adhi had started to suffer injuries.
Adhi hopes to end his career sweetly this season by bringing Pelita Jaya back to the title. Unfortunately, the 2020 IBL Competition, which was supposed to continue on October 13-27, did not get permission from the police.
Adhi also wrote about his resignation on his social media account. “I have thought about this decision for a long time with all considerations and reasons. I said goodbye to all my friends and Indonesian basketball fans. I am sorry if there are mistakes and my behavior is not proper. Adhi Pratama says goodbye,” he wrote.
Indonesian basketball fans will miss Adhi, one of Indonesia’s best centers today. Good luck off the pitch, Adhi! (rp)