Tyrell Terry, a 2020 NBA draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks, is retiring from pro basketball due to anxiety.
Terry, 22, posted a lengthy statement to Instagram on Thursday, explaining that he “can’t continue this fight any longer for something I have fallen out of love with.”
“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,” the 6-foot-2 point guard wrote. “While I have achieved amazing accomplishments, created unforgettable memories, and made lifelong friends … I’ve also experienced the darkest times of my life. To the point where instead of building me up, it began to destroy me.”
Terry played one season at Stanford and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2020 before entering the draft. The Dallas Mavericks selected him with the first pick of the second round, No. 31 overall.
He played just 11 games for the Mavericks as a rookie, scoring 11 total points in 56 minutes.
After the season, Tyrell explained why he spent time away from the team that season.
“I was dealing with some mental health stuff that runs in my family,” he said. “I wasn’t really aware it was creeping up on me; it hit me kind of serious.”
The Mavericks waived him in October 2021, and he signed with Memphis, playing in just two games. The Grizzlies waived him in the offseason.
“To most, I will be forever known as a bust, a failure, or a waste of talent,” Terry wrote. “While those may be true when it comes to basketball, it is the biggest failures in life that lead to the greatest success. There is more for me out in this vast world and I am extremely excited to be able to explore that. And for the first time, to be able to find my identity outside of being a basketball player.”
Terry concluded his post by saying he was “headed down a different path now, one that will hopefully lead to happiness and being able to love myself again.”
–Field Level Media