On quitting
Hello! I’m back with my first Sports Illustrated story of the year.
Retiring from a professional sports league at age 22, assuming you’ve got the talent to be there, is basically unheard of. But Tyrell Terry, an NBA guard who played for the Mavericks and Grizzlies, did just that in December, citing his anxiety. I spoke to him at length a few days after he posted the announcement to Instagram.
Bart Young/NBAE/Getty Images
Here’s an excerpt from my feature:
Terry has since characterized what he was going through as an identity crisis. Many players, while in the NBA, likely find themselves more consumed by basketball than ever before. For Terry, the opposite happened: Entering the pros made him realize how little he needed the sport. Of the Instagram post, “It’s been an almost overwhelming amount of support I’ve gotten,” he says, “which obviously makes the process of letting the sport go a lot easier.”
Chris Almeida and Adam Duerson edited this one. Catherine Chen copy edited, and Larry Mondi fact-checked. Thanks to all of them!
In award news ...
Kevin D. Liles/Sports Illustrated
I’m thrilled to report that my feature from January 2022 on trans boys and men in sports has been nominated for a GLAAD media award! Thanks to my editor, Jason Schwartz, and the rest of the SI team, as well as everyone who shared their experiences and expertise with me for the story.
Equally important, I finally finished assembling my semifunctional Lego typewriter. I believe I deserve awards for that.
I hope everyone’s January has been wonderful.
Thanks,
Julie