Basketball On The Internet.

ADAM "Balls" Ballinger has led the way today, announcing he will not be back for a 13th NBL season.

The 205cm naturalised forward turns 36 in June and is ready to pursue his life after basketball.

At his peak as an import - initially for Victoria Giants, then Wollongong Hawks and Adelaide 36ers - Balls was one of the most dominant offensive forces in the league.

He was delivering a career-best 22.5ppg at 54 per cent as an import with the 36ers in 2008 before he took out Australian citizenship and became an Adelaide staple.

He inherited the captaincy from Brett Maher and won the club MVP award four times, behind only Mark Davis (9) and Maher (5), the only two 36ers with their numbers retired.

That copybook jumpshot was a joy to behold and at his best, Balls was even doing a Dirk Nowitzki-type leaner.

In fact at the time, I was thinking of writing a piece about the NBL mirroring the NBA (in a watered-down version obviously), likening Chris Anstey to Kevin Garnett and Ballinger to Nowitzki.

(But I ran out of comparable players about there before also recognising an American-born 205cm forward from Bluffton, Indiana doesn't quite mirror a 213cm prototype forward/centre from Wurzburg, Germany who has been an NBA MVP and a championship winner.)

Balls got to a Grand Final series with Wollongong, where he will end his illustrious career, and, appropriately against Adelaide next weekend.

Never short a great quote or a self-deprecating line, he was always a dream to deal with, candid, honest and funny, but most importantly realistic and surprising at times.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: Jacob Holmes was among the first to congratulate Balls on his retirement today. Here's a flashback to their Adelaide days together. And no, it wasn't an ice bucket challenge.

Such as when he was playing his 300th NBL game and I asked him his most memorable of the triple-century.

Without hesitation, he named Brett Maher's last home game at Adelaide Arena as the single-night occasion which most stood out, the venue sold out and Maher hitting the monster three (from where his signature is now on the court) to cement a win over New Zealand.

No, Balls didn't choose a game where he shot the winning basket, though he easily could have. He picked a memorable game from a memorable night.

Unquestionably a character, his drawings and art work also have stood him apart and he very much will be missed.

LIFE AFTER: There's life after basketball for Balls the Artist.

In the NBL's All-Time "Rangas" All Stars, he will forever hold down the power forward spot, joining Luke Schenscher (centre) and Patrick Reidy (swingman) as first-choice selections for coach Rob Beveridge.

There's no doubt Balls won't be the last to announce his departure from the game this season.

Shawn Redhage at Perth is 34, though still starting and not showing too many signs of slippage.

Schenscher is 33 in December and Cairns' Matt Burston beats him to that age in November.

Breakers star Mika Vukona beats them both in May and Ballinger's teammate Oscar Forman is already there now.

A bunch of guys turn 32 this year too, when the first thoughts of "life after" start to creep in.

Balls leaves the game with career averages of 15.3ppg and 6.0 rebounds, transitioning with the 48-minute to 40-minute game, from marquee import to quality naturalised star to venerable veteran.

As he tweeted today: "Just to be clear.... My retirement papers with the @NBL do still have an NBA out clause."

He will sorely be missed.

Online

Illawarra Mercury's great piece by Tim Keeble on Balls' retirement: http://bit.ly/1Clq3nU