DALLAS — Tyrell Terry, the Mavericks’ No. 31 overall pick in the 2020 draft, announced his retirement from basketball, via an Instagram post on Thursday.
In his caption, the 22-year-old guard cited “the darkest times of my life” and described “the anxiety this sport has caused me” as the reason for his decision.
“To the point where instead of building me up, it began to destroy me,” Terry wrote. “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.
“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.”
Terry appeared in 11 games as a Mavericks rookie during the 2020-21 season, playing spot minutes as a sharp-shooting prospect out of Stanford, before taking a months-long personal leave. He returned to the team for a few days early in the 2021 preseason before another personal absence.
After the Mavericks released him in October 2021, he played in two games for the Memphis Grizzlies and spent time with their G League affiliate.
Terry had not signed with a team this NBA season.
