This depression get the best of me…
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) February 17, 2018
That tweet. Simple. To the point.
And that simple tweet led to a cultural shift. DeMar wasn’t expecting it. He wasn’t pushing for some kind of agenda or trying to go viral. He was just being his honest self. A simple real time communication with his followers. Sharing his authenticity with them in a moment of vulnerability.
His simple tweet did go viral. And, in doing so, challenged the conventional wisdom. That elite athletes are not super human. In fact, they are most human. They struggle with mental health challenges. And it was time to start talking about it.
Less than a month after DeMar’s tweet Kevin Love shared his story in an article on the Players Tribune.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something
“Last year I was in such a terrible place. And I was just suffering silently. After @DeMar_DeRozan came out and said he dealt with depression, I felt like saying, ‘Hey, this is what I’m going through.’” —@kevinlove https://t.co/wal7mNKkYW
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) October 16, 2019
People were talking. A shift was happening. The stigma surrounding mental health was starting to break down. The NBA began to enact institutional changes surrounding players mental health and well being. Teams were required to bring in mental health experts on staff and protocols for mental health crisis management.
DeMar was being called upon to be a voice. He used his platform to continue the discussion, bringing these issues out into the open.
DeMar DeRozan said he believes many of his NBA peers are self-medicating with alcohol to cope with mental health issues. pic.twitter.com/WqkbF28MCP
— ESPN (@espn) August 22, 2018
Above the Noise highlights his important role in the mental health discussion he helped to spark, but it is much more than that. It really is a true basketball memoir. The book takes you through his early years, grinding it out as a young hooper hailing from Compton, Los Angeles. Above the Noise chronicles DeMar’s challenges growing up in a chaotic environment, the dreams of making it to the NBA, and then navigating the highs and lows of his professional basketball career.
The book itself is very well written. It’s a refreshing, honest, and personal story that is not just the biographical recounting of one particular All Star caliber player, but its an American story. You feel yourself feeling more and more proud of DeMar as he takes you along his journey. The challenges he faced, the trail he blazed, and the grace he exhibited in the face of it all.
DeMar continues the discussion surrounding mental health issues with his YouTube podcast Dinners with DeMar.
You can check out episode 1 of Dinners with DeMar below with his first guest, Draymond Greene. And while you’re at it, order yourself a copy of Above the Noise!
