Pacers point guard Darren Collison shockingly announced he's retiring to focus on being a Jehovah's Witness. After one season with New Orleans, Collison returned home to the Indiana Pacers when they bought out his contract. In a surprise move, NBA point guard Darren Collison announced his retirement from the game in June 2019, leaving both fans and observers stunned. He finished 4th in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting and averaged 18.8 points and 9.1 assists in the 37 games as a starter, but had four turnovers a contest as a starter in his first NBA season. "Basketball has been my life since I was a child," Collison wrote in . Doc Rivers: Joel Embiid shot a bit today after shootaround but still hasnt progressed to running. I am one of Jehovahs Witnesses and my faith means everything to me. Darren Collison retired in 2019 at the age of just 31 to focus on his family and religion by Abhinav Singh Tomar February 19, 2023, 3:00 AM IST in Indiana Pacers, NBA Darren Collison is a retired NBA player who played for multiple teams, including the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks. Collison stated, My aim is to live for God and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, in an interview with The Undefeated. He announced his retirement from the NBA at the age of 31. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowsk i, Collison has decided that he plans to remain retired,. He led the conference in free throw percentage, and was third in assists, steals, and assists-to-turnover ratio. Collison has continued to put his family and his beliefs before his profession in basketball. Collison also emerged as one of the veteran leaders of the Pacers' locker room, mentoring young players and always being accessible and accommodating to the media immediately following every game, win or lose. [12] Collison became the Mavericks' starting point guard, replacing Jason Kidd who left as a free agent. The James Harden put on a show in Boston against the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. He admitted that he had been debating retiring for some time and that it was a difficult choice. He won't be missed by Dallas or the NBA community at large. He was anticipated to get many contract offers totaling approximately $10 million each season. Tad likes sharing his knowledge with others so they too can feel the thrill of victory on their own path to greatness. He was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round with the 21st overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft. The 10-year veteran averaged 11.2 points and six assists per game last season. We wish him the best in his future endeavors. He has made no secret of the value he places on his family and the part that faith plays in his life. The Sixers find a way to win without Joel Embiid thanks to a massive game from James Harden and some key dirty work from backup center Paul Reed. Collison, 31, averaged 11.2 points, 6.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game last season, his second with the Pacers. Despite this, Collisons choice to put his personal life first and his desire to give back to his community serve as a reminder that, even for professional sportsmen, there are things more important than basketball. Its a combination ripe for disaster. He has earned that.". Free agent point guard Darren Collison won't be coming back to the NBA this season after all. The Suns have been outscored by 30 points from long range this series. By the fourth quarter, when the Lakers had made the game a laugher and turned it into garbage time, Irving got up and left the arena. He earned All-Pac-10 conference honors three times, and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award his senior year as the top college player standing 6feet 0inches (1.83m) or under. What do you think? Back in the postseason after a 16-year drought, the Kings fell in Game 7 of their first-round series Sunday to end a special season. They finally hooked up on a 10-day contract earlier this season as rosters around the league were. there were rumors LeBron had expressed interest in him coming to Los Angeles. Discovery Company. Joel Embiid is officially out for Game 1 Monday night against the Celtics due to his sprained knee. ", Collison retires from NBA at 31 to focus on faith, 'That was crazy, no cap': How one wild sequence helped the 76ers steal Game 1, 'Aggressive' Harden takes over as 76ers stun C's, Suns' Paul leaves G2 loss with left groin tightness, Jokic powers Nuggets to 2-0, shrugs off MVP talk, Horford: Celtics let up defensively with Embiid out, Butler gets treatment on ankle; still iffy for G2, Calipari thanks Bryants for package honoring Gigi, 'It's going to be epic': Stephen Curry and LeBron James face off -- again, Tigers coach fumes at Zaire v Dwyane comparisons after loss, Pregame chats, language arts and 'a lot of fines': Inside NBA player-ref dynamics, Darren Collison: 'I have decided to retire from the NBA', Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He is a career 39.4 percent 3-point shooter and led the league with a 46.8 3-point percentage two seasons ago. This isnt a surprise, but its certainly not good news for Philadelphia. He was then traded to the Indiana Pacers, where he stayed for three years before being acquired by the New Orleans Pelicans. Darren Collison announces retirement from NBA at age. Collison Not Regretting Retirement (Much) | NBA.com With Chris Paul out for months at two separate times during the 200910 season, Collison became the starting point guard. Also Read: You have no impactenjoy RETIREMENT Kevin Durant blasts former NBA star for spreading false reports. I am one of Jehovahs Witnesses and my faith means everything to me. At their peak, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA, but if they dont play closer to that peak more regularly it doesnt matter. The joy I feel is unmatched. pic.twitter.com/isat1SZw0V, Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) June 29, 2019, Thanks for everything big bro! As a devoted Christian, Collisons decision to hang up his shoes was greatly influenced by his religion. Turn the ball over too much. Lakers release: Big Bro Happy Retirement! But the most important person of all in this NBA journey is my loving wife, Keyosha. With that being said, I have decided to retire from the NBA.. Collison played four seasons of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Abhinav remains committed to expanding his understanding of the sports industry, consistently keeping up-to-date with the latest newsandtrends. While I still love basketball, I know there is something more important, which is my family and my faith. List of National Basketball Association annual three-point field goal percentage leaders, "UCLA Official Athletic Site Men's Basketball", "UCLA's Darren Collison receives Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award", "201011 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide", "Collison Picked 21st by the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA draft", "Pacers get Collison from Hornets in 4-team trade", "It's Official: Pacers Trade Mahinmi for Collison, Jones", "Signing Derek Fisher a sign of desperation", "Adding Fisher Illustrates Mavs' Deep Flaws At Point Guard", "Derek Fisher's Dallas debut a success despite stats", "CLIPPERS SIGN MATT BARNES, DARREN COLLISON, RYAN HOLLINS AND CHRIS PAUL", "Darren Collison kept Clippers on track while Chris Paul was out", "Chris Paul: 'Game ball goes to Darren Collison' in win over Thunder", "Austin Rivers hitting his stride for Clippers", "Cousins leads Kings past Knicks 135-129 in OT", "Kings PG Darren Collison suspended 8 games for domestic violence incident", "Oladipo helps Pacers rally past Lakers 110-100", "Sources: Darren Collison won't return to NBA this season despite interest from Lakers, Clippers", "Turner helps Pacers escape with 109-101 victory over Wizards", "Darren Collison: 'I have decided to retire from the NBA', "Lakers Sign Darren Collison to 10-Day Contract", "Darren Collison signs with Lakers' G League affiliate with hopes of getting call-up to NBA team, per report", "2008 CollegeInsider.com Defensive All-America Team", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Darren_Collison&oldid=1146405370, 2005 CIF Southern Section I-AA Player of the Year, 2008 Associated Press Third Team All-American, 2008 Collegeinsider.com All-Defensive Team (along with teammate, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 24 March 2023, at 17:44. In the second half the Celtics stuck more one-on-one, so Harden used strength and step-back to get to his shots. He is a career 39.4 percent 3-point shooter and led the league with a 46.8 3-point . The 31-year-old point guard averaged 12.5 PPG and 5.0 assists per game over his career. The Celtics did not bring a focused effort in two of the last three games Game 5 against the Hawks and Game 1 against the Sixers. Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. For the NBA, Collisons retirement was a big loss. Celebrities from all walks of Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns suffered yet another defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Collison went to the University of California, Los Angeles. He finished that season with averages of 2.4 points and 3.3 minutes per game in 46 contests. To all of you, I would like to say thank you for the countless years of support. pic.twitter.com/isat1SZw0V, Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) June 29, 2019, Thanks for everything big bro! [24], On July 7, 2017, Collison signed with the Indiana Pacers, returning to the franchise for a second stint. Dont defend well, and dont be fully committed to that process. Whether Irving and Luka Doni work out remains to be seen, but Irving staying in Dallas rather than moving to Los Angeles is a good bet. [1] During the 200607 season, Collison averaged 2.2 steals per gamethe most in the Pacific-10 Conference. Well see how much Collison has left in the tank at age 34 and years removed from professional basketball, though. He also stated a wish to engage in charitable endeavours, such as programmes that support youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds. Collison handed out a Hornets rookie-record 18 assists and scored 17 points on January 30, 2010 when New Orleans ended Memphis's 11-game home winning streak with a 113111 overtime victory. In addition, Collisons retirement has provided him more time to concentrate on his charitable endeavours. A Jehovahs Witness, he cited religious reasons for retiring. When it was confirmed that Joel Embiid was out for Game 1, the assumption from everyone including the Celtics was that Boston was going to walk to an easy Game 1 win.