When ex-OKC Thunder player Paul George talked about mental health, he opened the door on this hidden injury.
Like most people around the NBA, I commend ex-OKC Thunder player Paul George opening up about the depression he has been suffering. It took courage to talk about the hidden injury which can impact players at any time.
Mental health issues can be so debilitating that they can cause people to have some incredibly bad times in their lives. It can cause poor performance, relationship breakdowns and worse. The problem is that they are never talked about and sufferers can be shunned, exacerbating the issue.
The fact that George had the courage to talk about his inner demons has the ability to move the mental health conversation forward.
The OKC Thunder are a supportive organization.
The OKC Thunder have shown that they are a supportive organization. Last season they made sure that Terrance Ferguson was able to take leave from the team to fight for custody of his daughter.
His performance was being impacted by the stress that this was causing him. Stress, if untreated can turn into mental illnesses like anxiety disorder or depression. The thing is, we could relate to the stress Ferguson was feeling and therefore it was acceptable to the common fan.
Back in rhythm.@Yg_Trece became the first player in the Shot Clock Era to score at least 35 points in under 25 minutes in a postseason game. pic.twitter.com/MlfMYXWYKZ
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) August 26, 2020
Likewise, Alex Abrines left the OKC Thunder in the middle of a season due to depression caused by being home sick. A Spanish national, Abrines played his heart out for the Thunder before his mental issues became too much to bear. Again, we could see a cause so this was ok.
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George, an elite talent in the NBA, was struggling with mental illness in the early part of the playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. He was finally able to talk to members of the LA Clippers franchise and they have helped the ‘black cloud’ lift.
If George had been physically disabled by an injury, we would have all said that his performance was understandable. Damian Lillard injured his finger and no one expected him to play as well in the next game. We could see a reason for his reduced performance.
Mental illness is a hidden injury, it is very had to see when a person is mentally struggling. Only if you know a person very well or you are a trained professional is it possible to see the slight changes in a person which signal mental health issues.
Hopefully the fact that an NBA superstar has opened up about mental health issues, we can start helping each other out. Obviously there is a lot going on within the walls of the bubble, and this work is crucial, but we need to take any opportunities to further this cause.