Darren Collison says rumors about him joining Lakers were 'overhyped'

Since leaving millions of dollars on the table and walking away from the game, Darren Collison has predictably been linked to several NBA teams, none more than the Los Angeles Lakers. In January, Collison-to-L.A. hype reached an all-time high when the veteran point attended a Lakers game and sat next to owner Jeanie Buss. 

From there, many speculated that it was only a matter of time before Collison joined LeBron and AD on the Lakers. But Collison remained out of the NBA and in a recent interview, he revealed he was never really thinking about coming back to basketball.

"To keep it 100, they overhyped the whole thing," Collison explained on the "Minute til 6" podcast. "Like, I wasn’t even thinking about coming back."

But then why did Collison go to a Lakers game? He says he just wanted to watch his buddy Russell Westbrook play some basketball.

"I just wanted to come watch the game as a fan," Collison said.

During his 10 years in the NBA, Collison was a solid point guard, averaging 12.5 points and five assists per game on nearly 48% field goal shooting. He seemed like a natural fit for the Lakers, who have struggled with depth at the point guard position all season. 

However, it seems that Collison's playing days are truly behind him, as he announced his retirement from the NBA last summer, saying that he wanted to focus more on his faith and religion. Collison is a practicing Jehovah's Witness.