DeMar DeRozan is one of the NBA’s most vocal advocates for mental health care.
The Bulls star has been candid about his battles with demons throughout his playing career. Like many people, DeRozan’s life hasn’t been full of roses and rainbows. It was a journey filled with serious highs and basses that defied depth as television cameras followed his every move.
This is a dangerous oxymoron and can instill fear in anything a person is passionate about. DeRozan was no exception, famously giving fans an insight into his psyche during a tough 2018 with the following tweet:
This depression is ruining me…
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) February 17, 2018
DeRozan overcame that turmoil. But they weren’t easy. And they didn’t immediately end after opening up about things that could be damaging to his mental health. Speaking with Warriors forward Draymond Green on DeRozan’s “Dinner with DeMar” series on YouTube, the six-time All-Star talked about the stressors leading up to his appointment and other things that have bothered him from time to time over the years. We delved into the events of.
DeRozan initially did not intend to speak out this much, centering on mental health vulnerabilities. Rather, it was the result of the emotions that tied him to his bed and separated him from his loved ones one night six years ago.
“I was lying in bed, it was like 8 o’clock, and I didn’t move at all,” DeRozan said. “I had no interest in doing nothing or having no one.
“I had nothing inside me. I was so exhausted mentally and emotionally that I just lay there. … I locked the door and I was lying in my room by myself. Ta.”
DeRozan picked up his phone and broadcast a tweet before dozing off. The next morning he felt better. Then a windfall happened. It was an outpouring of support and concern for DeRozan and his presence.
It touched him immeasurably.
“It just turned to me and said, ‘F—, that’s how I feel,'” DeRozan said. “I didn’t feel weak, I didn’t feel any emotions, because in that moment I went back to my past numbers. I overcame and I overcame. I never became less human,” he said. I’m not manly at all.
“I’ve been crying out for help for a long time, but instead of telling someone, I did it in exactly the wrong way,” DeRozan added. “Seeing the reaction after that was like, ‘Damn, did I have this effect on someone?’ so it was even more overwhelming in a good way.”
DeMar DeRozan talks about the impact of his trade with the Raptors
DeRozan’s career has been filled with trials and tribulations. He had his best days in Toronto, but the trade for Kawhi Leonard, which brought the Raptors an NBA title, robbed them of perhaps their greatest star of all time.
The trade with Toronto added to the turmoil going on in DeRozan’s life at the time. In his discussion with Green, he explained some of his emotions that came up when he was traded from the Raptors to the Spurs.
“My knees buckled,” DeRozan said of the trade to San Antonio. “I still can’t explain the emotion I felt. It put me in an element of exploration and trying to find myself from a basketball standpoint.”
“You feel the doubt creeping in, you question yourself, you wonder how long this will last, you get caught up in the boring story that the ‘sports insider’ pundits want to tell you.”
That feeling has been exacerbated by the upheaval taking shape in DeRozan’s personal life. His father was on his deathbed during the coronavirus pandemic, adding yet another pitfall to the growing number of patients over the past few years.
In the end, DeRozan survived. He’s one of the most thoughtful people in basketball right now. That’s not to mention his impressive play on the floor, where he maintained an All-Star level performance for the Bulls, who went 26-29.
Still, he will never forget the days of his greatest battle, that enviable run-up.
