Darren Collison: "Basketball has been my life since I was a child. I could never imagine finding anything that brings me more joy than I get from playing the game. While I still love basketball, I know there is something more important, which is my family and my faith. I am one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and my faith means everything to me. I receive so much joy from volunteering to help others and participate in a worldwide ministry. The joy I feel is unmatched.
With that being said, I have decided to retire from the NBA."
31-year-old NBA veteran Darren Collison shockingly retired from the NBA late Friday in a heartfelt letter that he shared with the sports website The Undefeated.
It came as a surprise to many with the beginning of free agency just days away and Collision rumored to be on the wishlists of many teams looking for a help at backup point guard.
Collison has averaged double-digits in scoring for all ten of his seasons in the NBA and was coming off a solid 11.2/6.0/2.6 season with an Indiana Pacers team who was one of the league’s biggest surprises.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski speculated that Collison was potentially looking a free agent contract in the $10 million-$12 million range before the unexpected announcement.
Collison played with the Pacers, Kings, Mavericks, Clippers, and Hornets, but is probably most remembered for his role backing up Chris Paul on a 57-win 2013-2014 Los Angeles Clippers team that lost a heartbreaking Western Conference Semifinals series to a Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook anchored Thunder team.
Collison played four years at UCLA, going to three Final Fours in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and most notably was teammates with Westbrook and Kevin Love on the memorable 2008 Bruins team that went 35-4.