22-year-old NBA player retires, saying anxiety from playing basketball led to 'the darkest times' of his life
- Tyrell Terry announced on Instagram that he is retiring from the NBA after two seasons.
- He was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks in 2020.
NBA player Tyrell Terry has announced that he is retiring from the sport, citing the anxiety caused by the sport he no longer loves.
"This message is a very difficult one to share and an emotional one to write," Terry wrote on Instagram. "Today I decided to let go of the game that has formed a large part of my identity. Something that has guided my path since I took my first steps."
Terry was the first pick of the second round by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was a standout college player at Stanford.
Terry wrote that a significant factor was that the sport has been hard on his mental health.
"While I have achieved amazing accomplishments, created unforgettable memories, and made lifelong friends…I've also experienced the darkest times of my life," Terry wrote." To the point where instead of building me up, it began to destroy me. Where I began to despise and question the value of myself, much more than those surrounding me could ever see or know."
He also wrote about how the anxiety affected him physically and caused him to no longer love the sport.
"Intrusive thoughts, waking up nauseous, and finding myself struggling to take normal breaths because of the rock that would sit on my chest that seemed to weigh more than I could carry," Terry wrote. "This is just a brief description of the anxiety this sport has caused me, and while I'm grateful for every door it has opened for me, I can't continue this fight any longer for something I have fallen out of love with."
Terry later told SI.com that he was starting to resent the sport.
"I didn't even really see the game as an art anymore," Terry said. "I didn't see it as just a game anymore or something that I loved. It felt like something … that I was gaining resentment for."
Terry spent most of his first season in the NBA's developmental G League, playing in just 11 games with the Mavs. He was released before the 2021-22 season and briefly signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Terry also told SI.com that he has received support and encouragement during conversations with parents of other athletes going through similar situations.
For now, Terry has returned to Stanford and told SI.com that he might play club soccer.
You can see Terry's complete statement here:
This story was originally published in December and has been updated.