NBA Star DeMar DeRozan Is Destigmatizing Depression

IN ADDITION TO his impressive athletic record as an Olympic gold medalist and NBA All-Star, basketball player DeMar DeRozan has also gained the admiration of fans off the court for the openness with which he discusses his own mental health struggles, a candor which can only help to chip away at the enduring stigma surrounding this subject, especially in men.

Only too aware that dealing with depression is nothing as simple as a one-and-done, the Chicago Bull has just shared an update on how he's doing, resurfacing a tweet from 2018 about how depression was getting "the best" of him, and saying: "The conversation continues."

Since posting, DeRozan has received an influx of love and support from fans who applauded his honesty and urged him to "stay strong," as well as his fellow pro athletes. "You a special person brother and like you tell me all the time keep ya head high!!!!" wrote Atlanta Hawk Dejounte Murphy, while NFL player Solomon Thomas commented: "Thank you for your vulnerability brother."

DeRozan first opened up about his experience with depression in a 2018 interview with the Toronto Star. "It's one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look like we are, we’re all human at the end of the day," he said. "We all got feelings...all of that. Sometimes...it gets the best of you, where times everything in the whole world’s on top of you.”

"We're all human at the end of the day," he continued. "That’s why I look at every person I encounter the same way. I don’t care who you are. You can be the smallest person off the street or you could be the biggest person in the world, I’m going to treat everybody the same, with respect."

This new social media post of DeRozan's is dated 02.20.24, which just so happens to be the date that he will be launching his new YouTube show, Dinners With DeMar, a series of conversations with sportspeople and celebrities about life, family, fatherhood, and mental wellbeing. The first batch of guests include NBA stars Dwyane Wade, Draymond Green, and Damian Lillard.

"When you hear about players it's always about basketball," DeRozan told USA Today ahead of the premiere. "Especially when you hear about these players. But there's so much more to them. They talk about their families, their dreams, all of the things that make them human. I think that's one of the things I want to get across. That when it comes to mental health, NBA players aren't so different from anyone else."

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