The 13th annual Sloan Analytics Conference kicked off on Friday. NBA commissioner Adam Silver returned to the conference this year after making multiple appearances in the past. In speaking with Bill Simmons in their one-on-one discussion “Who Says No”, Silver dropped a little bit of a bombshell regarding mental health in the league.
“I think we live a bit in the age of anxiety.” Adam Silver says a lot of NBA’s young players are “genuinely unhappy.” @SloanSportsConf #SSAC19 #ANumbersGame #WhoSaysNo
— Kevin Merida (@meridak) March 1, 2019
There could very well be plenty of truth to Silver’s comments. Despite ample reporting and coverage recently over mental health in the NBA, there is still some sense of a taboo nature that surrounds the subject.
The most notable work done was prior to the start of the 2018-19 regular season, when ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan wrote a five-part piece detailing both the history and the current state of mental health in the NBA and how players dealt with their struggles. Her reports detailed discussions with players like Kevin Love, who has recently been very open about his journey with depression and anxiety.
Players like Marcus Morris also opened up to MacMullan regarding bouts of depression and anxiety and how that has shaped and channeled his NBA career. Countless other players, like DeMar DeRozan and Channing Frye, have been vocal about their experiences with mental health issues, and there are certainly an unimaginable number of those who suffer silently.
Adam Silver may be on to something with his proclamation regarding anxiety and the young players of the league. As he has shown before, though, he isn’t afraid to take a leap of faith and prepare the league for the future. If the NBA does look to take a proactive approach to its players mental health concerns, it has the right leader in place.
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