1-on-1 exclusive: DeMar DeRozan opens up about mental health

1-on-1 exclusive: DeMar DeRozan opens up about mental health

So I think I do want to start with when you posted on Twitter the Kevin gas line the depression has the best of me did you realize it was going to resonate with so many people um no I really didn’t to be honest with you it was it

Was uh it was a actual feeling that I was feeling in that moment and how I felt like you know and the only way in that moment I could express it was you know relating with a song and a lyrics and you know I tweeted it you know I

Woke up the next day you know feeling good until I looked at my phone and realizing you know what what what have I just started you know and and and and it kind of was a blessing in disguise me doing it because it it opened me up and

Helped me realize so much for myself and so much empathy for the outside world of people just going through so much and with that it just put me in a position of understanding how to help not just myself but other others in a process I feel like there’s been so much that’s

Happened since then you know you’re considered one of the first people at your level in the NBA to speak up about mental health Jerry West of course talked about it but it was a different time what did it mean to you to be somebody people look to as saying he

Plays on this level and he’s able to talk about something that hadn’t been discussed before it was it meant a lot it was it was beyond you know something that I ever could imagine of people just being thankful uh you know the gratitude that I gained from it was was something

That you know to this day is it’s tough to put in words because you you really don’t in understand the impact that you have on people until you you know become vulnerable yourself you know and it it allows other people to be vulnerable and it shows you know the Gateway that you

Can open to you know the reality of things that we deal with I think it’s always an important message to say today for your years ago 20 years ago just because this is how my life looks doesn’t mean I’m not going through the same things how do you internalize that

And how do you try to communicate that um one I always try to give you know a certain level of empathy and respect because you know I you never know what the next person going through you never know what conversation you can have with a person to help their day be better to

Carry on to help the next person day be better you know it becomes a chain reaction because it’s not a day that I get up where I don’t realize or I look at somebody like you know we all going through something some type of way so me

I always try to figure out even if it’s coming in at work you know if God is tired what type of light of positivity that I could be you know and with that it allows people to be more vulnerable and have those tough conversations to relieve uh relieve any type of stress

That they may may be carrying so for me it’s just one of those things that you know um I try to give the same energy and and and respect that I want you know for myself and the more that’s given the more people don’t feel like they being

Judged or they got to hide behind some type of tough Shield um and they’ll let it out you know organically and that’s the best way what inspired you to speak up um a selfish moment for myself expressing my frustration and what it was that I was going through allowed me

To realize something bigger than just myself so you know it was never a conscious decision when you know starting with the tweet me thinking like you know I’mma speak out on this topic you know um it was just me having a impulsive thought that led to Twitter

That you know made me say you know what you know it made me look at myself in a different light with a different type of confidence of let me share this this is why and it led to so much more than I I ever could imagine I mean I definitely

Understand the impulsive thoughts on Twitter I’ve been there when NBA players talk to you about this fellow players what’s been some of what they’ve told you about what you’ve helped contribute I mean just them being more open you know we carry this this Superman cape so

Much you know at work TV after games before games if you have a bad game um dealing with family personal stuff um we deal with so much so when I’m able to talk to you know my my my peers it’s it’s like a norm you know it’s

Normalized in Being Human you know and that’s what makes me feel good about me being able to speak up about something I would do because guys look at it like you know if he could do it I could do it I I have a story too and it’s not even

Just me it’s just all our stories are so impactful to not just to us just to you know our friend or fans or or family people who really don’t get a chance to really understand a lot of things that we make go through so it’s just more so

Guys is just feeling human and you know putting a cape down when it comes to us having conversations when you started this process what was some of the best advice or maybe one of the favorite things that you’ve received uh being more attentive to your mental health

Um just accept the process you know accepting the process and when I say that it’s just you you still going to continue to have rough days rough sit rough situations don’t let that you know bring you down and put you back in that negative dark place you going to have

Bad days but understand why you are having a bad day and try to address those things to combat it with something whether if it’s you know physical fitness if it’s you know something to kind of replenish yourself with a with a with a positive you know affirmation you

Know whatever that may be you know it’s different things for you know different people you know Minds has always been physical fitness sometimes just working out you know you know exerting yourself kind of get the blood flowing and you know you feel relaxed like you got something off your shoulders some people

Like to read watch something funny you know every night before I go to sleep I always try to find something funny to watch and you know go to sleep you know with a peaceful you know grin on my face you know what I mean you sleep better

You know I mean so it’s just whatever’s whatever is for you you know find that one of my favorite things about the NBA is how they are at the front of causes like this whether it’s Mental Health it’s advocacy that mental health and wellness program was created shortly

After you brought that that thought and that discussion to the public what do you think of how the league has responded to you and to so many other players I always always thought we had the best league you know Adam Silver is is for the players uh he listened and

Some like that how fast they took action and prioritizing that speak values to our to our association of you know how much they really care for the players you know you know and and and tend into whatever our needs are um on down the line with every single thing and you

Know addressing something like that just speak volumes um to the lead that we in and kind of you know show the other leads you know rather if it’s baseball football whatever it may be the importance of you know protecting our mental health because we go through so

Much you know people think it’s just always you know roses in in pretty days but it’s tough you know it’s hard a lot of times dealing with you know come with being a athlete being you know coming from nothing all of a sudden having millions of dollars um the attention you

Know um the the constant you know you know negative negative stuff we hear from fans or you know something go bad whatever it may be you know um it it it gets it get rough on at times well and grief is cyclical it’s not linear you

Know and I think that’s one of the things that you’ve gone through grief how have you been able to positively deal with it the way like you talk about um you got to have a great Supporting Cast you know um great family friends people who you know you feel like it’s

There for you you know um that’s the best feeling you could have just having a support system you know family friends and leaning towards them when things get rough you know and I think for me that was one thing that was beneficial for me creating a community yeah um also I know

You’re not ready to retire yet I know you get jokes about being old but you’ve developed this Legacy on the court for being one of the leading scores in the NBA but what does it mean to you to have been part of something so big off of it

Um it means everything because you know being a kid growing up in Compton I never could fathom or imagine anything on the court or off the court where I’ll be having such an impact impactful um lengthy career you know it’s it’s something I would never take for granted it’s something that you know

Is is I wake up every single day and happy I’m able to do what I’m what I’m able to do you know I’m being a fan of of of the game since I was a a kid to be able to be a part of the game um means

The world to me and to be a part of the culture to change the culture surrounding it I think that’s so impactful it definitely is impactful and like I said it’s still something that that you know still humbles me to this day that I still can’t believe and you

Know that’s the kid feeling that I I I still love about just being a part of this whole whole whole thing uh those are all the questions I have is there anything else that you would like to add that you want people to know that maybe I was perfect that was

Perfect congrats you finished the video if you want to build on that success download the MBC Sports Chicago app it’s got highlights exclusive insights and push alerts tailored to you everything you need to be a real Chicago sports fan download it now

Leila Rahimi goes one-on-one with Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan to talk about mental health. They discuss his depression tweet from 2018, the response he received from fans, having compassion for others, seeing growth in fellow NBA players, finding a support system and more.

#ChicagoBulls #demarderozan #mentalhealth

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1-on-1 exclusive: DeMar DeRozan opens up about mental health
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