Former Mavericks guard Tyrell Terry retires from basketball at age 22 / News - Basketnews.com

Tyrell Terry cited serious mental health issues as the main cause behind the decision to retire.

Credit: AP - Scanpix Credit AP - Scanpix

Tyrell Terry was drafted with the 31st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Two years later, the young guard's career is over.

Tyrell Terry

Position:PGAge:22Height:190 cmWeight:79 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The player announced his retirement from basketball on his Instagram page last night, claiming mental health issues to be the main cause behind the decision.

"Today I decided to let go of the game that has formed a large part of my identity,' he 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. Where I began to despise and question the value of myself, much more than those surrounding me could ever see or know."

"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. 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 explained.

Throughout his two years in the NBA, he's spent time with two teams - Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies. Overall, he played 13 games in the league. The Stanford graduate (14.6 PTS, 4.6 REB, 3.2 AST, 1.4 STL in 31 games in PAC-12) played 29 games in the G-League for the Memphis Hustle.

"To most, I will be forever known as a bust, a failure, or a waste of talent. 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," he continued.

"I am eternally grateful to those who have believed in me and apologize to those that I have let down. But I'm headed down a different path now, one that will hopefully lead to happiness and being able to love myself again," Terry concluded.

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