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A few years ago, the NBA started requiring every team to have a licensed and experienced professional who can help players battling mental issues. It was a landmark step that was unanimously welcomed by the basketball community.
Most basketball fans see elite athletes like those in the NBA as somewhat “supermen.” Yet, that has never been the case.
Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan are two of those who came out to admit their mental struggles, helping others in the process to face their issues. More than a few were not so fortunate that they had to miss games or completely remove themselves from the game they love.
Here are five players who missed games or left the NBA due to mental health concerns
#5 Tyrell Terry
After a strong one-and-done season at Stanford, Tyrell Terry was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2020. Some scouts believed Terry was a steal despite the Mavs being him at No. 31. He was reportedly good enough to be a lottery pick had he stayed for one more year in college.
Terry couldn’t even scratch his potential as he played just 11 games with the Mavericks before he was waived. The following season, he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies who also dismissed him in two games.
One of the best high school prospects was apparently battling mental issues that no one noticed until he quit the NBA:
"While I have achieved amazing accomplishments, created unforgettable memories, and made lifelong friends…I've also experienced the darkest times of my life.
"To the point where instead of building me up, it began to destroy me. Where I began to despise and question the value of myself, much more than those surrounding me could ever see or know."
#4 Larry Sanders
Larry Sanders looked like he was going to be one of the emerging young big men once in his career in the NBA. In his third season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he averaged 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 71 games.
It all went quickly downhill for him. In his next three seasons, he averaged just 6.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 55 games. He suddenly quit after just five games during the 2016-17 season.
Weeks later, he revealed that he left the dream he was living in to seek help and treatment for anxiety and depression. Larry Sanders didn’t go into details of his struggles but it must have been extremely tough that he had to give up his NBA career. The lanky center was only 28 years old when he decided that his mental struggles have to be addressed first above anything else.
#3 Royce White
In 2012, the Houston Rockets made Royce White the 16th pick of the NBA draft. White had a superb college career in Iowa where he led his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
The buzz around him, though, wasn’t his basketball skills, which were quite obvious. It was his well-publicized General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). White’s anxiety was reportedly due to his fear of flying, forcing him to travel by bus instead of plane.
Royce White pushed for a mental health policy that the NBA didn’t act on. He was instead sent by the Rockets to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Rio Grande Vipers.
White eventually played for the Sacramento Kings on a 10-day contract and played just three games.
#2 Andre Drummond
On March 20, 2023, Chicago Bulls backup center Andre Drummond was listed out by the team due to personal reasons.
A few days before the game, he posted this on Twitter:
“Deleting all my social apps my Managment will take over, also changing my number .. Time to focus on my mental health. If you too are struggling with your mental health, you are not alone it’s okay to ask for help”
Billy Donovan, the Bulls’ coach, addressed the media after the game:
“As we come here and play games there’s also a human side, a personal side to all these guys and you feel bad when anybody’s going through something like that. I think you try to give as much support as you can.”
Andre Drummond might have missed some more games due to the same reason but chose to keep it private.
#1 Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season after he forced a trade out of Philly and then suffered a back injury. Simmons also emphasized that his battle with mental issues was a big part of his struggles to get on the floor.
While most basketball analysts and fans lambasted him for taking the easy way out, the Australian opened up on those struggles in an interview.
“I was already going to therapy. I got into a really dark place in my life. ‘Why do I feel like this? What’s happening to me?’ It was a build-up of everything – all that pressure, and multiple things going on with my family.”
Since playing for the Brooklyn Nets, he has been a shell of his former three-time NBA All-Star self. While he looks to be physically ready, his mental state might be the one most people are uncertain about.
