Andre Iguodala knows what it's like to be a star on the Philadelphia 76ers. Before his magical run with the Golden State Warriors, Iguodala was once upon a time the frontman for the Sixers himself.
In a conversation with The Athletic reporter Sam Amick, the former Sixers veteran spoke out on the current plight of Ben Simmons. The All-Star has been open about his mental health struggles as he's dealt with being shunned for his recent bouts of poor play.
Via The Athletic:
“I mean, you can’t speak on anybody’s mental health,” Iguodala said of Simmons, who has four seasons and $147 million remaining on his contract with the Sixers. “(It) just is what it is. … But there’s just too much money (involved). And the more money you make, the more (they) take away from us being humans.”
Modern-day athletes have become more and more vocal about the struggle with mental health, especially within the past few years. We've seen tennis standout Naomi Osaka and the face of gymnastics Simone Biles step away from their respective sports to recuperate their psyche.
As Andre Iguodala asserts, there's a certain level of dehumanization that goes on for these larger-than-life athletes making millions to play a sport. It's hard to imagine someone like Ben Simmons struggling with their mental health given that the Sixers star is living the dream. But the pressure to perform is also something most people wouldn't be able to understand.
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