Larry Sanders Comments on Leaving the NBA in The Players' Tribune Exclusive

Larry Sanders is currently out of the NBA after a tumultuous tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, but the former first-round pick is happy with the new path he has chosen.   

In an exclusive interview with ThePlayersTribune.com, Sanders revealed that he needed to take a step back from the NBA in order to explore other avenues.  

"I love basketball, and if I get to a point where I feel I'm capable of playing basketball again, I will," Sanders wrote. "I've had to make the difficult decision to follow my intuition, and allow myself the space and time to explore my true purpose in life."

After five seasons with the Bucks, the 6'11" center was recently waived, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge:

Sanders played in only 27 games during the 2014-15 season, as he missed some time while dealing with personal issues. As mentioned in this video, he checked himself into a hospital to treat anxiety issues during his hiatus:

In addition to that, Sanders made it clear that he has many passions in life aside from basketball he wants to explore.

While Sanders may not have everybody's support, his alma mater is behind him. VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin applauded Sanders' decision on Twitter:

Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins also posted this tweet:

The 26-year-old wanted it to be known that his departure was not meant to slight the Bucks organization or its fans. In fact, he thanked his supporters in this tweet:

While it may be tough for some to fathom why a promising, young player like Sanders would walk away from such a lucrative career, his decision is certainly respectable.

Sanders' heart clearly wasn't focused solely on basketball, and deciding against going through the motions for the sake of a paycheck is quite admirable.

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