New Sacramento Kings swingman DeMar DeRozan knows trades are hard for players, and he also knows the struggle of pro athletes to maintain their mental health. As much as we admire them for their skill and net worth, we might forget that they are human, too. Constant mockery for bad performances or emotional stress from injuries and being away from family can wear players down and cause them depression. In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, DeRozan shared his experience of what it's like to battle depression.
Besides these posts, the former Raptors forward has gone public with his depression, becoming one of the NBA's leading activists on mental health, along with Kevin Love of the Miami Heat.
The Kings star and mental health
DeMar DeRozan also had issues with social media and the NBA, particularly how negative commentary and opinions from fans can affect a player's state of mind. Sometimes, fans are too eager to tell a player that he stinks even after a single bad performance, planting seeds of doubt that could cause their play and mental health to suffer.
“We live in such an opinion-based universe now. You can't express nothing without outside people trying to tear that down,” DeRozan said in his recent appearance on First Take, via ClutchPoints on X. “…You can pick up your phone and see so many opinions placed on you, or you give an opinion right away in real time and that can take anything over the top.”
DeRozan also commented on the power fans now hold over players thanks to social media's ability to build and spread narratives.
“We're all media as soon as we pick up our phone. I think it makes it a lot tougher in ways and I think a lot of the conversations I have is to try to break a lot of stigma that we are scared to have at times because of such an opinion-based world we live in,” he added.
Thinking about it this way, it's not hard to understand DeMar DeRozan's recent Twitter posts on depression. Take, for example, Anthony Edwards' take on Michael Jordan as the only “skilled” player of his era, a claim impossible to make or believe seriously without listening to the narratives on X or Facebook.
Likewise, Russell Westbrook has heard slander of all kinds from fans, including the many variations of the “Westbrick” meme. He must have also seen the memes of him wearing a construction worker's uniform while launching bricks.
Posts and a book
Hopefully, the DeMar DeRozan's Twitter posts helps people understand the reality of depression for pro athletes. His book, “Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm,” co-written with Dave Zarum, should also enlighten fans about the disease.