DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love still have something to say.
It's been six years since they went public with their mental health challenges. DeRozan started the conversation in February 2018 with a tweet about depression. Love followed up a few weeks later with a first-person essay about his anxiety. And it didn't take long for the entire NBA community to sit up and take notice.
DeRozan and Love immediately sparked a shift toward destigmatizing mental health issues in the NBA. It became a passion for both of them and continues to burn today. DeRozan is working on a new video series in which he has one-on-one conversations over dinner with athletes and celebrities about mental health, while Love hosted an event with high school students on Monday and talked about how he and the Miami Heat and talk on the floor where people ask themselves questions about support. They understand that everyone is going through something.
“Some of the best conversations I've ever had and witnessed were at the dinner table. We can have candid conversations about some of the real things we deal with on a daily basis. It's fitting to be able to take a stand,'' Chicago Bulls guard DeRozan said in a promo for the “Dinners with Demar'' series with Draymond Green that began last month. The series will air on Tuesdays with Dwyane Wade, followed by another episode with Damian Lillard two weeks later. “So there's a lot to be gained from dinner table conversation.”
Or tweet. Or an essay. Or chatting in the locker room. It's all helpful.
For Love, the path to talking about his issues goes back to his childhood, but it really started on Nov. 5, 2017, during a home game against Atlanta, where he was playing for Cleveland. It was the third quarter. His heart was pounding. He was unable to breathe normally. I didn't realize it at the time, but he was having a panic attack. A similar problem struck him in another game against Oklahoma City a few months later.
Then, about a month later, DeRozan tweeted about his depression. Her love finally realized that she was not alone. She was well on her way to healing.
“Demar changed my life,” Love said. “If it wasn't for him, I don't know. He could have died. That's the reality. But DeMar is special. He did it without knowing what was going to happen. ”
How could DeRozan and Love — both incredibly wealthy, each with a chance at the Basketball Hall of Fame, multiple All-Star selections, and fulfilling lives in the NBA — suffer from depression? It's natural that some people have doubts. . They helped break down the stigma that successful people can't struggle. Both spoke about how players around the league have approached them and asked how they can start on their own path to understanding and improving their mental health.
Actor Bryan Cranston said in 2018, after chef Anthony Bourdain and fashion icon Kate Spade committed suicide within days of each other, “Success doesn't mean you're immune to depression.'' Yes,” he tweeted.
These words have remained in Love's heart ever since. He mentioned it word for word on Monday.
“My teammates trusting me and allowing me to be unapologetically myself has allowed me to be more comfortable being myself and actually breathe better on the floor. ,” Love said. “When you share your story, it might change your life. It might change the next person's life too. That's a great thing.”
This is clearly not just an NBA issue.
The National Institute of Mental Health said it estimates that 21 million U.S. adults (1 in 12) will have experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2021. It was also evenly more common among adolescents aged 12 to 17, with essentially one in five (20.1%) experiencing such an episode that year. .
Love established the Kevin Love Foundation to provide the resources people need, including an educational component that provides teachers and counselors with a curriculum geared toward social-emotional learning. The messages are tailored to each location and each student, but the basic tenet is to let children know they are not alone.
“It's great to see where this is going,” Love said.
The battle will never end. DeRozan and Love never sought to be the face of change, but they also never shied away from the role. By letting others know they were broken six years ago, they touched people's lives in a way they never could by hitting the game-winning shot. It was true. That was important.
So they're still talking. Still sharing. Still helping others. Still helping myself.
“I think continuing to do things like this and helping each other and talking about the ups and downs and the dark situations and trying to deal with issues right away and not prolong them, it's definitely helping each other,” DeRozan said. “I’m happy to be here and to be able to do this.”
Love has not yet been asked to participate in DeRozan's dinner conversation series. If DeRozan asked, Love would immediately accept.
That just seems right.
“Every time I see DeMar, I tell him the same thing,” Love said. “i love him.”
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan enjoys a moment with Sacramento Kings assistant coach Leonardo Barbosa during pregame warm-ups before an NBA basketball game on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Sacramento, California. right). (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
Kevin Love (42) of the Miami Heat reacts during the second half of the NBA basketball game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)