Former NBA player Tyrell Terry retired from basketball at the age of 22, saying the sport gave him “the darkest times of my life”.
He was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2020 after an outstanding college career with Stanford.
However, he only played 11 times before joining the Memphis Grizzlies last season, playing only twice.
“I can no longer continue this fight for something I fell in love with,” he wrote. on Instagram.
Terry was released by the Grizzlies this summer.
“Today I decided to let go of the game that has formed a big part of my identity,” he continued.
“While I’ve achieved incredible accomplishments, created lasting memories and made lifelong friends…I’ve also lived through the darkest times of my life. To the point where instead of building me up, it has started destroying me.”
He said the sport caused him anxiety which left him with “intrusive thoughts, waking up feeling nauseous and finding myself struggling to breathe normally due to the stone resting on my chest and which seemed to weigh more than I could carry”.
“For most, I will forever be known as a bust, a failure or a waste of talent,” he added.
“While that may be true when it comes to basketball, it’s life’s biggest failures that lead to the greatest success.”
Terry said he was now looking to explore his identity outside of basketball and apologized to “those I let down”.
“But I’m on a different path now, a path that will hopefully lead to happiness and the ability to love myself again,” he said.
