Tyrell Terry retires from basketball at just age 22 revealing he has suffered with anxiety

Former NBA second-round draft choice, Tyrell Terry has announced his retirement from the NBA aged just 22 due to mental health difficulties. 

Terry was taken 31st overall in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks and had a brief stint in Memphis before being assigned to their G-League affiliate and eventually cut this offseason. He played 

Despite not playing in the NBA for almost a full year, Terry announced his retirement on Instagram Thursday.   

‘This message is a very difficult one to share and an emotional one to write,’ Terry began in a lengthy Instagram post.

‘Today I decided to let go of the game that has formed a large part of my identity. Something that has guided my path since I took my first steps. 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. 

The 22-year-old’s involvement in his final NBA game against the San Antonio Spurs in Dec. ’21

‘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 played for the Memphis G-League team, the Hustle, during his career in Tennessee

‘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. Yours truly, Ty.’  

Terry’s final game in the league came on December 31, 2021 during a six-second spell in the Grizzlies’ 118-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs. 

Throughout his 31-game NBA career, he averaged 14.6 points and shot over 40% from the three-point arc. He was drafted by Dallas after a single season at Pac 12 school, Stanford earned an All-Pac 12 honorable mention.