Darren Collison Abruptly Retires From NBA To Focus On Life As A Jehovah's Witness

After 10 seasons in the NBA, Darren Collison announced his retirement through an open letter to The Undefeated, citing his faith as the catalyst for his decision:

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.

The announcement came as a bit of a surprise to some, including Collison’s now former Pacers teammates who were apparently blindsided by the whole thing, according to Alex Kennedy from HoopsHype. Thaddeus Young said he was very recently discussing unrestricted free agency with the Collison, and that the 31-year-old guard never said anything to imply he was even thinking about retirement. Indiana big man Myles Turner said of Collison: “Me and him actually went to meetings together a couple times as well – with ‘meetings’ being Jehovah’s Witness slang for church. I didn’t see this coming, but I’m happy for him.”

It’s probably safe to assume that some front offices around the league were similarly caught off guard by Collison’s decision. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the veteran was in line for a pretty hefty payday had he chosen to sign another contract.

In his 10 seasons as an NBA player, Collison spent time playing for the New Orleans Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, and Sacramento Kings. He averaged 12.5 points and five assists per game over his career, and shot 47.1 percent from the field (39.4 percent from three). All of this is very strange!

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