National Basketball Association

Sanders explains departure from NBA related to anxiety, depression

Published Feb. 25, 2015 11:28 a.m. ET

Dave Heller

Two weeks ago, Larry Sanders tweeted that "Soon you will all know the truth."

Wednesday, four days after being bought out and waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, the 26-year-old former first-round draft pick posted a video via the website The Players' Tribune, explaining why he is stepping away from basketball.

Sanders said he went to Rogers Memorial Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, to enter a "program for anxiety, depression and mood disorders."

The hospital stay was beneficial, Sanders said, in that it "taught me a lot about myself, about what's important and where I want to devote my time and energy. I love basketball and I'll always be playing basketball. For it to be consuming so much of my life and time right now, it's not there for me, it's not that worth it."

Sanders last played for the Bucks on Dec. 23, missing the next 11 games for what was termed personal reasons. Then, a fourth failed drug test for marijuana triggered a minimum 10-game suspension. Not long after the suspension ended, the team and Sanders came to terms on a buyout.

In the video, Sanders said marijuana was something he did "later on in my life" due to "a lot of stress and pressure."

Sanders did not rule out a return to basketball, but also stressed that he is more than a basketball player and he never thought about the NBA as a career.

"So how can I say I'm off path?" he remarked on the video.

Sanders understands people might not understand how he could leave such a high-paying job, but "happiness isn't behind a golden gate," he explained.

Finally, Sanders expressed gratitude to Milwaukee.

"I wish I could have said goodbye formally to the Bucks at the Bradley Center," he said. "I want them to know it was never about them, the fans or how they treated me, because it was awesome. These decisions are for my family."