Paul Pierce has announced he will return to the Los Angeles Clippers for his 19th NBA season and then retire.

"This is it, my final season," Pierce wrote on The Players' Tribune. "It's time to move on from the game of basketball. Just like any difficult decision, I think you've got to be at peace with yourself. I'm at peace with retiring, but I've got one more ride left. One more season. One more opportunity."

Pierce averaged only 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season.

"With the Clippers, in the city where I grew up, I feel like I have that opportunity on a great team," Pierce wrote Monday. "We're hungry. We want to win a championship.

"After 18 NBA years, it's hard to believe I'll be playing in each arena for the last time. So I'm going to enjoy every practice, every bus ride, every team dinner, every time running out through the tunnel. I'm going to do my part to give us a shot at the ultimate goal."