DeMar DeRozan put out a cryptic message on social media on Tuesday night, as he shared his own post from 2018 when he told the world that he was dealing with depression.
“2.20.24. The conversation continues…”
DeRozan quoted the lyrics of rapper Kevin Gates’ song, “Tomorrow” in that post of his in 2018. The caption to this one makes me think that the 34-year-old might be speaking on the topic of depression on Feb. 20.
DeRozan was not the first NBA player to ever speak on the topic of depression and mental health, but his admission of it in 2018 really shook up the basketball world. Here was a man at the peak of his career who was earning millions, saying that all the fame and money in the world doesn’t mean all is well.
No matter how far someone gets in life, they might still be dealing with some tough battles internally that they need help dealing with. There was sort of stigma associated with admitting something like this, but DeRozan showed it was okay to say it out loud. A few days after he had posted about it, he spoke at length on the topic.
“It’s one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look like we are, we’re all human at the end of the day,” DeRozan said. “We all got feelings . . . all of that. Sometimes . . . it gets the best of you, where times everything in the whole world’s on top of you.”
DeRozan said he realized as he grew up that many others also deal with it, and he was hoping he could be a positive example for them.
“It’s not nothing I’m against or ashamed of. Now, at my age, I understand how many people go through it. Even if it’s just somebody can look at it like, ‘He goes through it and he’s still out there being successful and doing this,’ I’m OK with that.”
It turned out that he did indeed become someone that people could look to.
Kevin Love Was Inspired To Speak Up By DeMar DeRozan’s Admission
One such individual to be inspired by DeRozan was Kevin Love. Love had suffered a panic attack during a game against the Atlanta Hawks in 2017, but was hesitant to speak about it in public. DeRozan’s admission, however, made him realize he should open up about it, and he did in a wonderful article in the Players Tribune.
“One of the reasons I wanted to write this comes from reading DeMar’s comments last week about depression,” Love wrote. “… Because just by sharing what he shared, DeMar probably helped some people — and maybe a lot more people than we know — feel like they aren’t crazy or weird to be struggling with depression. His comments helped take some power away from that stigma, and I think that’s where the hope is.”
The likes of Paul George, Andre Drummond, and Ben Simmons have also spoken openly about mental health issues in recent years, and they might never have done that if not for DeRozan.
DeMar’s comments also led to the NBPA starting a mental health and wellness program. The NBA also created its own mental health program, and from the 2019-20 season, teams were required to have a formal relationship with a mental health professional.
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