Westbrook is his substitute and once wanted to replace Paul. He was regarded as the perfect point guard but announced his retirement at the age of 32!

Although Russell Westbrook is no longer the super point guard who escapes from heaven and earth due to injuries and age, looking back at Westbrook's career, even if he does not win the championship, it still does not affect his legend. However, even such a superstar was always under the bench by a senior during his NCAA period, and he could not win the position until he participated in the NBA draft. This man not only suppressed Westbrook in college, but even threatened the position of Chris Paul who was already in the prime of his career in his first season in the NBA. But what is even more unexpected is that at the age of his playing age, this man actually announced his retirement, and he is Darren Collison. Let’s walk into his story together and see how his basketball career is!

1.NCAA's perfect point guard, the rookie made a big splash in the season.

As early in high school, Collison had already received the attention of many college scouts with his excellent organizational skills and amazing speed, especially in his senior year, his scoring ability was improved to 20.4 points. Therefore, he was also selected as one of the top point guards in the United States after graduation and was selected as a list of five-star high school students. UCLA, which has always had the tradition of cultivating point guards, also took a fancy to Collison. The two sides hit it off and Collison became a member of UCLA. Although he could only serve as a substitute for Jordan Famal in his freshman season, in the second season, he was directly promoted to the starting point guard. He can contribute an astonishing 12.6 points, 5.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game, a stable three-point shooting, and the extremely oppressive defensive end, which also makes Westbrook, who has just joined the team, his substitute. However, Collison did not choose to enter the NBA early, but played all his college season before participating in the NBA draft. It is precisely because of this that he was able to contribute 14.4 points, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals in his senior season, and is considered the most perfect point guard.

However, when he participated in the NBA draft in 2009, Collison was already 22 years old. He had no potential to explore. In addition, the NBA at that time paid more attention to talented players, so it was not until the 21st pick in the first round that Collison was selected by the Hornets. Originally, the Hornets didn't have much expectations, but regarded Collison as Chris Paul's substitute, but this guy seized the opportunity of Paul's injury and scored 17 points and 18 assists in the game against the Grizzlies, setting a new record for the highest assists in the team history that Paul maintained. Later, in the game against the Pacers, he scored another triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. In addition, he could contribute 21.6 points, 8.3 assists and 1.8 steals throughout February, and was elected as the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in February. Therefore, with such impressive data and performance, he once threatened Paul's team status at that time, and it can be said that he was a shocking existence.

2. I accidentally started wandering and found my state in the Clippers.

However, although he performed some excellent performances, there is still a big gap between him and Paul, so after Collison made his net worth, the team immediately sent him as a bargaining chip to the Pacers. Although he had to accept the cruelty of the NBA after only one season, after coming to Indiana, Collison performed well. Not only did he secure the team's starting lineup, but he still had 13.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals in the second grade. Just like in the UCLA period, Collison was like a machine, stably connecting the team on the offensive end, and did his best to defend every possible round on the defensive end. It was also this season that he helped the Pacers return to the playoffs, and still had 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists the following year. Logically speaking, such performance can be fully appreciated by the team, but with George Hill, Collison once again became a victim. In the summer of 2012, Collison was traded to the Mavericks, where he still contributed 12 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals, but the Mavericks had no interest in him and actually gave up their offer to him, making him a free agent. Fortunately, the Clippers gave him a two-year, $4 million contract. By chance, he and Paul became teammates again. It seems that as long as he is in the same team as Paul, he seems to have been exerted with magic. Due to Paul's shoulder injury, Corrison replaced him as the starter for a period of time. During this period, the team achieved a record of 12 wins and 6 losses. He himself can contribute 13.3 points and 6.5 assists, and performed very well. Moreover, in the playoffs, even against the Thunder, he also had a wonderful performance of 22 points in a single game. Therefore, after the end of the season, he chose to jump out of the contract and seek a big contract in the free market.

3. The King's Pacer, retired at the age of 32!

Soon, the Kings gave him a three-year, $15.04 million contract, hoping that he could assist DeMarcus Cousins and directly handed him the starting point guard position. Collison did not disappoint the team. Although the team's record still did not improve much, in his first season with 16.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals. Although he was put on the bench in the 15-16 season, he could still output 14 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1 steal. His three-pointers had already been greatly improved at that time, directly reaching a shooting percentage of 40.1%, and also have considerable output.. In addition, in the 16-17 season, he scored 13.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists again. It can be said that even though there is a certain gap between Collison and star players, as a stable starting point guard and championship puzzle, it is definitely enough. After the contract expired, because the king lacked competitiveness, he chose to leave and signed a two-year, $20 million short contract with his old boss Pacers, announcing his return to Indiana. This time, his position is more stable, and the backcourt that he partnered with Victor Oladipo, both the offensive threat and the pressure on the defensive end have made many teams feel huge pressure. In the 17-18 season, Collison was able to contribute 12.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals, helping the Pacers to still make it to the playoffs without Paul George, and they played in a tiebreak battle with the Cavaliers led by LeBron James before they lost. In the 18-19 season, the 31-year-old actually maintained a good state, still able to contribute 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and a career-high 6 assists. However, after the end of this season, he actually announced his retirement, which surprised many people at that time. Of course, fans also respect Collison's choice, but whenever he is talking about him, I feel very regretful.