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Chicago Bulls big man Robin Lopez was able to raise an excellent point upon sharing his own bouts with mental health. According to the 30-year-old 7-footer, eliminating the stigma of the issue at hand starts with a very simple aspect — utilizing the proper term to address it.
According to Lopez, the term “mental wellness” is a more apt, more inclusive phrase as opposed to “mental health.” The Stanford alumni believes that using the appropriate term is the key to a more widespread acceptance of the issue.
“When you phrase it as mental wellness, then I feel that that includes everybody,” Lopez tells Jackie MacMullan of ESPN. “When you say mental health, then guys tend to say, ‘Well, that's not me. I don't have any mental health stuff.'”
Because of all the misconceptions that accompany mental illness, the general public (most especially NBA players) have a flawed notion that it is some form of a weakness. Most would rather keep their mental health issues to themselves than risk being labelled as a “softy.”
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Lopez shares that he went through a similar phase when he was first starting in the league.
“When I was younger, there wasn't a lot of consistency in my game,” Lopez says. “I was pretty violent if things didn't go my way.”
Thankfully, Lopez eventually learned to accept his weaknesses. He did not let his pride get in the way of seeking the proper help in order to address his personal issues. Hopefully, more players will follow suit.
