Darren Collison is calling it a career.
The former Indiana Pacers guard announced his retirement after a decade in the league in a letter posted in The Undefeated on Friday night so he can focus on life after basketball, most importantly his faith and his family.
“Basketball has been my life since I was a child,” Collison wrote in The Undefeated. “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 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.”
The Los Angeles-area native was selected by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft. He played for five teams during his time in the league, including the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and two stints with the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 12.5 points and five assists throughout his career.
Collison spent the last two seasons in Indiana, and averaged 11.2 points and six assists. He averaged more than 28 minutes per game and started in every contest he appeared in last season, too.
The 31-year-old had wrapped up the second year of his two-year, $20 million deal with the Pacers, and was set to become a free agent this summer. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Collison was on track to make up to $12 million per year on the free agent market.
Darren Collison was on target to secure a $10M-$12M annual salary in free agency. He retires at 31. https://t.co/456Y67RUva
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2019
Collison has spent ten seasons in the NBA with five different teams. He was drafted in 2009 by the New Orleans Hornets before being promptly traded to the Pacers in a multi-team deal for Trevor Ariza. Collison also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings before returning back to Indiana in 2017. For his career Darren Collison always was a serviceable point guard. He finishes his career with per-game averages of 11.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
