Pacers point guard Darren Collison announced his decision to retire from the NBA on Friday night in a letter to ESPN's The Undefeated.
The 31-year-old guard out of UCLA spent 10 seasons in the NBA, including four with the Pacers. He helped Indiana reach the playoffs in every season he spent with the Blue & Gold.
After one season with the New Orleans Hornets, Collison originally joined the Pacers via a four team trade in 2010. He averaged 13.2 points and 5.1 assists in his first season in Indiana, helping the Pacers return to the playoffs for the first time in five years. Collison then helped guide the Pacers to a 42-24 record and an Eastern Conference Semifinals appearance in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.
After a year each with the Mavericks and Clippers and three seasons with the Kings, Collison returned to Indiana as a free agent in the summer of 2017. He was the starting point guard for the past two seasons, as the Pacers won 48 games and reached the playoffs in both campaigns.
The past two years were arguably the best of Collison's entire career. He led the entire NBA in both 3-point percentage (.468) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4.3) during the 2017-18 season. Last season, Collison again shot over 40 percent from 3-point range and averaged a career-best 6 assists per game.
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.
Collison retires with career averages of 12.5 points, 5 assists, and 1.2 steals with a .394 career 3-point percentage. He was remarkably consistent over his 10 seasons in the NBA, acheiving a double-digit scoring average every season.
He told The Undefeated he decided to retire to devote more time and energy to his family and his faith.
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard issued the following statement on Saturday morning:
"The reported news of Darren Collison's retirement was to me, like many others, surprising. That said, the Pacers' organization can't thank Darren enough for his contributions through two different times with the franchise. Without question, he made us a better team and made the sacrifices to do so. He handled himself with class on and off the court and was a helluva player. We wish him nothing but the best. He has earned that."
Since Collison announced his decision, a number of his Pacers teammates have also congratulated him via social media: