American basketball player Tyrell Terry, who was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2020, announced on Instagram on Friday that he was retiring from the sport because he was too scared, which led him to “live the darkest moments (of his) existence” experienced.
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After a brilliant collegiate career at Stanford, Terry played just thirteen NBA games last season, eleven for the Mavericks and two for the Memphis Grizzlies. He took a long break in his freshman season at Dallas for personal reasons and was released from preseason training camp last year.
The youngster cited mental health issues to explain his decision: “This message is very difficult to share and very emotional to write,” he wrote. “Today I decided to give up sport, which is a big part of my identity.”
“While I’ve accomplished incredible things, made unforgettable memories, and formed lifelong friendships… I’ve also lived through the darkest times of my life. To the point that it started destroying me instead of building me up,” Terry continues.
Terry now intends to “explore (his) identity off the basketball courts” and no longer have to “wake up nauseously and have trouble breathing from a weight on his chest.”
The player finally apologized to those he had let down, explaining that he had chosen a “new path that I hope will lead to happiness and allow me to love myself again”.