Kevin Love is a trailblazer when it comes to mental health in the NBA. The Cavs star was one of the first individuals to come out publicly about his mental health illness, which basically started a movement within the league. Love has now chimed in on the nasty rumors involving Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons and how he's allegedly faking his mental health issues.
Since making the big move to Brooklyn, Simmons has yet to make his debut. He's still dealing with a bad back that has prevented him from suiting up for his new team. Prior to the blockbuster trade, Simmons also didn't play for his former team, the Sixers, this season. Apart from his back issue, Simmons also cited his mental health as one of the major factors that held him back from taking the court.
More than a few folks out there argued that Simmons was just faking it — that he never really had any mental health problems. Many thought that this was just a ruse and part of his grand scheme to force his way out of Philly. Kevin Love, on the other hand, is having none of this:
“It’s hard to argue feelings, first and foremost,” Love told Anthony Puccio of Front Office Sports. “I think a lot of people like to throw shade at a safe distance. I learned from the late, great Flip Saunders that everybody has a part to play, everybody gets to contribute a verse. I understand a scorned fan. I understand Philly fans — they’re a blue-collar type of place. You go there, it doesn’t matter who you are — even if you’re on their team and you don’t play well, they’re gonna let you know.
There’s a lot to unpack there with Ben, but knowing him and being a friend, I think, yeah, mentally and with his back physically, he’s getting better, and it’s a work in progress every single day. Look at it in terms of that — time has the ability to heal all.”
While Love did not directly say how he believes that Simmons' mental health issues are legitimate, it is clear which side of the fence Love is sitting on here. Of all people, the Cavs veteran knows what it's like dealing with a mental health condition and he completely understands how serious it is.
Love also appreciates what the Nets star is going through right now in terms of how Sixers fans basically hate him. Love went through a similar phase early in his career after he left the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2008, after spending his first six years with the team:
“When I went back to Minnesota my first year, I got booed pretty well,” he said. “They still gave me a nice video. People there are just Minnesota nice, they’re great, but as time went on I’ve kept so many of those relationships. Even seeing the fans this year, being back there, you realize it’s all love. So a lot of those people that felt scorned have said, ‘Let’s celebrate the team we have with Karl Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards.'”
Right now, Kevin Love is just hoping that his buddy is able to get his career back on track. It's going to be an uphill battle for Ben Simmons, but Love believes this man deserves the opportunity to put this entire issue behind him:
“I really hope Ben returns to play and plays well,” Love said “I know the first several times he goes back to play against Philly, he’ll feel some sort of way, but in his heart, in his head, he’s a really good person. He just got caught in a tough situation that wasn’t the easiest on all sides of it, whether it be Doc, Joel, the organization — I’m hoping everybody had a good landing spot at the end of it.”
Finally, Love had a bit of advice for the Nets star and for the people around him. Simmons is not in a great place right now and he will need all the support he can get:
“Huge,” Love responded when asked how important empathy is in these types of situations. “Having these conversations, the ability to listen. When you reveal things at a certain level, everybody has their own process, their own timeline, and how they want to expose certain things that they’ve gone through. Empathy is probably No. 1 right now. We shouldn’t hold back compassion and empathy during a time like this. There are a number of people around the world in many different settings and many different places that need to feel hope and need to feel love.”
Follow Us
Subscribe