Mental health is an important topic in today’s society, and professional athletes are not immune to its effects. The high-pressure and high-stakes environment of professional sports can affect players’ mental well-being. In the NBA, several players have opened up about their struggles with mental illness and how it has affected their careers.
DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony, and Larry Sanders are a few NBA players who have been vocal about their mental health issues. These athletes have all spoken candidly about their struggles with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.
The rest of this article will explore the stories of these NBA players and how they used their platforms to raise awareness and start conversations about mental health.
1.DeMar DeRozan
The former Toronto Raptors All-Star and current Chicago Bulls power forward DeMar DeRozan opened up about his struggles with depression and anxiety during an interview with JJ Redick’s podcast, The Old Man and The Three.
DeRozan said he struggled to balance his mental health issues with being a professional athlete and spoke about the need for greater dialogue on the subject. His openness to the issue has helped raise awareness and encouraged other NBA players to speak out about their struggles.
2. Kevin Love
Kevin Love is another NBA player who has been open about his struggles with mental health. In 2018, the five-time All-Star and NBA champion wrote an essay for The Players’ Tribune titled “Everyone is Going Through Something.” He detailed his struggles with panic attacks and how they affected him on and off the court.
Love has said that therapy and journaling have helped him manage his symptoms and that he has also found solace in mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation. He has been vocal in encouraging others to care for their mental well-being and destigmatizing mental health.
3. Carmelo Anthony
10-time NBA All-Star and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony has been open about his struggles with depression. Speaking to a group of incarcerated boys who were part of the Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop, Anthony revealed that he had dealt with depression since childhood and shared his advice on coping.
He said that playing in the NBA made him hide his feelings, but he eventually found relief in talking to someone about his experiences. Anthony has since spoken out about the need for NBA players to access better mental health resources. He has said that part of why he opened up about his mental health issues was to ensure that players in the future have access to better help.
4. Larry Sanders
The former Milwaukee Bucks center experienced a tumultuous period of his career in which he battled depression and anxiety. He stepped away from the game in 2015, having to take a buyout from his $27 million contract. After two years away from the NBA, Sanders returned to the league in 2017 with a renewed focus on his mental well-being.
Sanders spoke about how his mental health issues had caused him to lose his sense of identity and that he had to completely re-evaluate himself to find a way forward. He said that the period of his life was difficult, but it eventually led to a better understanding of himself and that he is proud of what he has accomplished.