Former Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders announces plan for NBA comeback

Nov 21, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders (8) against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Bucks 124-83. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders (8) against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Bucks 124-83. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders announced on Twitter that he is “officially” making an NBA comeback.

Once upon a time, Larry Sanders was seemingly on top of the world.

After an impressive college career at VCU, where he twice won CAA Defensive Player of the Year, Sanders was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft.

In 2012-13, Sanders had a breakout year for the Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks for a Bucks team that would surprisingly make the playoffs.

Once the season was over, the Bucks rewarded Sanders with a four-year contract worth $44 million.

That’s where the fairy tale ended.

Due to injury, Sanders sat out for most of the 2013-14 season. Then, in 2014-15, the enigmatic center abruptly left the Bucks and decided to step away from the NBA.

At the time, Larry Sanders had been suspended twice for marijuana use. Eventually, Sanders explained that he left basketball because he was dealing with anxiety, depression, and a mood disorder.

Now, two years later, Larry Sanders is making an NBA comeback. Thursday evening, he announced on his Twitter account that he was “officially stepping back into the game.”

https://twitter.com/l8show_thegoat/status/824787180472123392

According to a report by Keith Smith of Celtics Blog, Sanders has already had a workout with the Boston Celtics.

Per Jay King of MassLive.com, the workout actually took place on Thursday, hours before he made his announcement on Twitter.

When Larry Sanders first stepped away from basketball, you couldn’t help but compare his departure to that of Ricky Williams, a former star running back in the NFL.

The marijuana use, the mental health issues and the abrupt nature of their exits were all eerily similar to one another.

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Williams, however, went on to have many productive years in the NFL after he left football. Hopefully, Larry Sanders’ comeback venture can produce the same type of results.