NBA player Darren Collison sent shockwaves through the sport with a stunning retirement announcement.
Collison, who just finished up his deal with the Pacers, is an extremely solid player who was about to make a ton of money. However, that’s not going to happen as he’s made the shocking decision to walk away.
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The talented guard wrote the following in The Undefeated on Friday when explaining 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.
With that being said, I have decided to retire from the NBA.
To tell you how crazy of a move this is, Collison’s next contract would have earned him north of $10 million annually, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Instead, he’s done playing basketball at the age of 31.
This is such a bizarre situation that I don’t even know where to begin. It’s not like Collison was on his way out no matter what. It’s not like teams were done with him. (RELATED: Toronto Raptors Win The NBA Championship After Beating The Warriors In Game 6)
He was about to make over $10 million annually! You have all the time in the world to volunteer after your playing days are done. The time window to make money as a pro athlete is incredibly small.
There’s nothing wrong with volunteering. That’s very noble, but you can do a lot more for people the more money you have, and Collison is walking away from a chunk left on the table.
It’s not like football where there are concerns with CTE and other injuries. This is basketball. It’s one of the safer sports out there. At the very least, you don’t have to worry about your head constantly being banged around and the money is great.
Collison could have played a few more years and pocketed more than $40 million as his career came to an end. This decision is honestly mind-boggling to me.
Who leaves that kind of money on the table?
I hope Collison is happy in life and financially set forever. If not, this is an insanely stupid move.
