How DeMar DeRozan changed the conversation around mental health in basketball

The Current27:02How DeMar DeRozan changed mental health in sports

DeMar DeRozan never expected he would spark a discussion about depression, but with a single tweet, he created a ripple effect that would change the conversation around mental health in pro sports.

"I didn't know it would lead into all this, to this present day. But it was something that was obviously needed, not just for myself, but for the world in a sense," DeRozan told The Current host Matt Galloway.

It was Feb. 17, 2018, in the very early hours of the morning. By all accounts, DeRozan should've been riding high. The Raptors were sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 41-16. The shooting guard was about to represent the Raptors as an NBA All-Star in Los Angeles, not far from his hometown of Compton, Calif.

But instead, DeRozan was struggling and he couldn't sleep. He had decided not to go to a concert with his friends nor to an All-Star Game party where he was expected to make an appearance. He was overwhelmed by people hitting him up, asking him for tickets to the game or to drop in on the party. And he just needed rest.

"It just kind of made me hit a wall. You know, it led me to, in the middle of the night, to tweet out a tweet," said DeRozan, who just released his book, Above the Noise.

He posted, "This depression get the best of me"

Then he put his phone down and went to bed. When he woke up, he had a landslide of missed calls, texts, and messages, all people checking in on him.

'A constant obstacle'

DeRozan was selected with the ninth pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.

He had gotten out of Compton, a city in California known for its high rate of violent crimes. DeRozan described growing up there as, "a constant obstacle on a daily basis, that felt normalized."

But basketball showed him there could be more to life than what surrounded him, and it gave him a path out. Growing up, he would sit with his dad, the late Frank DeRozan, and watch video tapes of basketball legends such as Michael Jordan.

"I used to just watch basketball so much because, one, it gave me a moment with my dad, and two, it unknowingly gave me a deeper appreciation and love for the game," DeRozan said.

And that love of basketball took him to Toronto.

"I just remember feeling, you know, like it was so surreal, especially at that time. This was the place I definitely wanted to be," said DeRozan, who currently plays for the Sacramento Kings.

Shortly after he arrived in Toronto, he was given immense responsibility. In 2010, the long-time face of the franchise, Chris Bosh, left to play for the Miami Heat. Following the star's departure, DeRozan posted a tweet, letting the fan base know he was ready for the responsibility.

"Don't worry, I got us"

And he rose to the challenge. DeRozan would become the team's all-time leader in points and set many other statistical records for the team. He also helped lead the Raptors to five consecutive playoff appearances, cementing himself as one of the franchise's greatest players.

Creating conversation

After DeRozan posted on social media about depression in 2018, his phone was flooded with people trying to check on him.

One of those calls was from his then-coach Dwane Casey, who was with the Toronto Raptors from 2011 to 2018.

"I was shocked But I was so proud of him, like a proud father," said Casey.

Casey had just seen him the day before, in the lead up to coaching DeRozan in the NBA All-Star Game. He never expected his star player to be having such a difficult time.

WATCH | DeMar DeRozan 'couldn't stand' Kyle Lowry when they first met:

DeMar DeRozan couldnt stand Kyle Lowry when they first met

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When former Toronto Raptor DeMar DeRozan first met Kyle Lowry, he couldnt stand him. But once he got to know the all-star point guard, and the dedication he had to basketball, the two became best friends.

"You would never know that he was struggling with depression or any type of mental illness because he is such a humble, beautiful and thoughtful young man."

Casey met DeRozan when the newly hired coach arrived in Toronto for his introductory press conference in 2011. DeRozan was in his third year on the team, but he was already showing he would be an important part of the franchise.

"I just got the job there with the Raptors, and we were having the press conference, and I'm looking around the room and he was the only player there in his suit and tie," Casey said.

Casey, now 67, said that his generation perceived mental illness as a form of weakness. But DeRozan's tweet in 2018 challenged that perception.

"That woke me up to say, hey, as a coach, you know, [a] sports psychologist, team psychologist, they're so important because we never know what young men are dealing with," Casey said.

DeRozan says it can be tough for people, athletes or otherwise, to be seen as weak. And that there isn't enough empathy for those who are going through struggles.

"We go through things as athletes. I think after I took a second the following day, it just opened me up and made me realize like, man, yeah, this is how I feel. This is what I'm going through," he said.

"And it just opened a conversation from there."

Changed the game

Some of the greatest players in the NBA have changed the game, from how it's played to the very rules that govern the sport. Stephen Curry revolutionized basketball with his three-point shot. Shaquille O'Neal was such a powerful dunker, the NBA had to change the suspension system for its rims and backboards.

But DeRozan changed the game off the court, according to Casey.

"He should be credited across the NBA," the former Raptor coach said. "By him putting that tweet out, [there's] no telling how many lives he saved and how many players he helped to make it not such a bad thing to ask for mental help."

After DeRozan's post, other players spoke out about the challenges they faced. Kevin Love, who currently plays for the Miami Heat, shared his struggles with mental health through an article in The Player's Tribune, and in 2022, he told ESPN that DeRozan's post saved his life.

"When I hear those things, it means a lot to me because it lets you know that it worked," DeRozan said of his post.

"There's been so many people outside the court that come up to me and say how much I helped their kid or, you know, someone 20, 30 years older than me telling me I helped them with something mentally, that means the world to me."

Casey said that following DeRozan's tweet, Raptors team owner Larry Tanenbaum and team president Masai Ujiri made it clear that no matter the cost, the players needed to be taken care of.

DeRozan's decision to publicly share his mental health struggle "really made it okay, definitely for the Raptors, but also for the rest of the NBA and the players" to follow suit, Casey said. "Now teams not only have one mental health specialist, a lot of teams now have two. And I credit DeMar for setting that tone, and making himself vulnerable."

Two months after DeRozan posted about depression on social media, the NBA launched Mind Health, a program meant to raise awareness about mental illness in sports and making mental health a part of players' wellness both on and off the court.

The following year, the league added new mental health guidelines for all teams, starting in the 2019-2020 season. Those required teams have one or two licensed mental health professionals available to players, as well as a licensed psychiatrist. They also required teams to create a written action plan of how to react in mental health emergencies.

The Toronto Raptors have had a mental health practitioner on staff for the past decade, who, as of last year, travels full time with the team.

DeRozan says he's still working on himself and his own mental health. Sometimes that means going out in nature and sometimes it's turning off his phone and taking a nap.

"I think for me, it's just a consistent journey of me trying to figure out what works," DeRozan said. "I think I'm at that place now where I'm still battling with a lot of things. But I'm up for the challenge more so than before."