Jared Sullinger's playing career has come full circle.

The former Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors forward has retired from professional basketball at the age of 34, with Ohio State announcing that Sullinger has returned to the Buckeyes as Director of Player Development.

For a player born and raised in Columbus who became one of the most accomplished players in Ohio State basketball history, it is a fitting place to begin the next chapter of his career.

Back Where It All Began

Long before Sullinger reached the NBA, he was one of the biggest names in college basketball.

The Columbus native starred at Ohio State between 2010 and 2012, earning consensus First Team All-America honours in both seasons.

As a freshman, Sullinger averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds while helping Ohio State win the Big Ten regular-season championship and Big Ten Tournament.

He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and helped the Buckeyes earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

His second season brought another dominant campaign.

Sullinger averaged 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds as Ohio State reached the 2012 Final Four, finishing his two-year college career with 1,281 points and 717 rebounds.

From Ohio State to Boston

Sullinger entered the 2012 NBA Draft following his sophomore season and was selected 21st overall by the Boston Celtics.

He spent four seasons in Boston and became a regular member of the Celtics' frontcourt.

His most productive scoring seasons came in 2013-14 and 2014-15, when he averaged 13.3 points per game in consecutive campaigns.

Sullinger later joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2016-17 season.

Across five NBA seasons, he appeared in 269 regular-season games, starting 172 of them, and averaged 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

A Career That Continued Far Beyond the NBA

Leaving the NBA did not mean the end of Sullinger's playing career.

He continued playing professionally overseas, with stops including China, South Korea and Puerto Rico.

Sullinger found considerable success in China, becoming a two-time Chinese Basketball Association rebounding champion and earning CBA International MVP honours in 2024.

His professional journey ultimately lasted more than a decade after leaving Ohio State.

Now that journey has brought him home.

A New Role at Ohio State

Sullinger will join head coach Jake Diebler's staff as Director of Player Development.

His role will allow him to pass on experience gathered from college basketball, the NBA and more than a decade of professional basketball around the world.

Diebler said Sullinger's basketball IQ, experience and passion for developing young players can help elevate Ohio State's player development programme.

For Sullinger, however, the return has an even more personal meaning.

Columbus is home.

He grew up there, attended Northland High School and became a national basketball star wearing an Ohio State jersey.

Fourteen years after playing his final game for the Buckeyes, he's wearing scarlet and gray again.

This time, his job is to help develop the players following in his footsteps.