LeBron James’ Former Heat Teammate Praises Two NBA All-Stars for Shedding Light on a ‘Taboo Subject’

The NBA season can be tiring, exhausting even for athletes. For six months, the league’s players compete relentlessly, exhausting themselves completely. This has harmful consequences on the human body. Injuries throughout the season account for the physical challenges that the long season presents. But what about mental health? For years, it was a murky subject within the NBA. But everything changed when two peers of LeBron James expressed their own experiences.

In a recent interview, the 2008 second overall pick praised them for their work. Identifying their significant impact on the subject, he even opened up about his own mental battles.

How this LeBron James teammate and another All-Star changed the stigma

Malik Beasley opened up about times when mental health wasn’t a priority when he spoke to Fox News. A highly touted college recruit in 2008, Beasley played 11 seasons in the NBA. Even though he didn’t live up to his potential, the review still labeled him “incompetent” or “damaged.”

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However, no one tried to understand his struggles with anxiety and depression. Even while attending Kansas State University, there was no opportunity to manage the emotional distress a student would face.

“We were all just taught to be tough and become strong” he told Fox News.

The NBA was in an identical state. Until this came to light, the league had no facilities to support the mental health of players. The breakthrough came when two All-Stars, Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan, spoke openly about their depression and anxiety. Before them, Beasley thought mental health was a “taboo subject.”

Former right-hand man to LeBron James, Love recounted the incident when he suffered a panic attack during a 2018 regular season game. As for DeRozan, he broke his quiet and reserved character to act as the gatekeeper. word of mental health. The six-time All-Star forward has mentioned his struggles with depression.

They became the pioneers of change. Two high-profile stars speaking out about their own battles have helped others gain the confidence to share their own stories.

Their impact was unprecedented. This forced the NBA to take notice. They caused a revolution. In 2018, the league named a director of mental health and wellness that players and coaches can approach. Now a mental health advocate himself, even Beasley recognized how Love and DeRozan’s groundbreaking confessions led to crucial change.

“One hundred percent because you’re talking about two All-Stars, two guys who have reached heights that people can only imagine, not to mention the players. So to see someone that good, that strong, as lucrative as it is, to come out and say there’s something wrong with him – I don’t like to call it a problem – I think it sends a bigger message than what he was trying to send. he said.

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Now playing in the Big 3, Beasley wants to share his own story and help the next generation of athletes pay more attention to their mental well-being. Their efforts have started to make a difference. However, the work is not finished. Stigmas still exist and additional efforts will be needed to demolish traditional beliefs.