In light of his own admission of his battle with ADHD, Jalen Rose explained that medicine isn't the only answer for athletes dealing with this mental health issue.
“I'm sure some guys have ADHD in the league right now who are on medication and don't want to be,” Rose told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan. “All I'm saying is, that's not the answer for everyone.”
An anonymous NBA star admitted to have been on medication his entire life, but wasn't sure if the medication mattered altogether, only to change his mind when thinking about free agency.
“I've been on and off medication my whole life,” explains one NBA star, who debated identifying himself for this story but ultimately chose to remain anonymous. “I'd like to think it doesn't matter, but I'm not sure that's true when free agency comes around. I'm choosing to keep my life private because I don't need the s**t on social media. It's hard enough already.”
Even Hall of Famer John Lucas admitted medicating wasn't for everyone, as it muted the full extent of their emotions, emotions they needed to perform at their utmost best when on the court.
“I have so many guys from the NBA who were put on ADHD medication, and they didn't want to be on it,” Lucas said. “They needed it, but they didn't want to be that calm on the court. We need them to be at this frantic pace. So when he's on the medication, the coaches are saying, ‘Why can't we get more out of him?' But when he doesn't take the medicine, we say, ‘He's the player I want.' The problem is that player doesn't know how to turn off that rage, that intensity, once the games are over.”
Sadly enough, the decision to take or not take medication is a slippery slope, as it does have side effects to every condition in life, including basketball. Some players will prefer to manage their issue on their own as long as they can let loose on the court as their only outlet, while some others will opt to take the side effects that come with medicine.
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