NBA star Kevin Love on sharing mental health struggles: 'Success is not immune to depression or mental illness'
Kevin Love knows how important it is for people to prioritize their mental health — especially now — and he wants those struggling to know they aren't alone.
The five-time All-Star has become one of the NBA's leading voices for mental health advocacy ever since he publicly revealed he deals with anxiety and depression. During Yahoo's Reset Your Mindset event, Love says he has no regrets about speaking out, but admits it wasn't easy.
"I just didn't want anybody else to tell my own story," the NBA champion explains. "I believe that nothing haunts us like the things we don't say, like once you expose it, it's very freeing and allows you to be more comfortable not only in your own skin, but in your mind as well."
Love detailed his experience with panic attacks and mental health struggles in a moving piece for the Players Tribune in 2018. When speaking with Yahoo about his choice to share his journey, the athlete explains, "I was so over just living in the shadows and being in pain and just trying to hide it from everybody."
"I think that was the biggest thing. It just felt like I was going to be outed, or I was going to be discovered as some type of a fraud," he shares. "It just wasn't conducive to a happy life or a healthy life for that matter, living that way."
The 31-year-old was obviously nervous about how people would react, but what he feared most was losing his "safe place," which is on the court.
"Basketball is a joyful place, so that depression is alleviated. It's a place where I blow off stress and I blow off anxiety," he explains. "I think I was mostly scared about how it was going to be perceived and if my livelihood was going to be affected, because I've put my entire life and everything into this game."
But, Love wanted kids (and the world) to understand that depression "doesn't discriminate."
"It just shows you that success is not immune to depression or mental illness, no matter how much you've accomplished in your life," he declares. "You can't achieve yourself to beating this. It's something that will likely be with you forever. That's how I've accepted that. I've changed my relationship as much as I can with what I've dealt with since I was young."
The Cleveland Cavaliers forward says it’s been "incredibly freeing" to speak openly about his mental health.
"It's allowed me to have a lot more empathy," Love admits, adding he can connect to people on "a personal level." He feels like he’s "a part of the winning side of history."
"I think it's something that I feel like could be my life's work, but it took a lot to lead up to that point," he declares.
That's why he founded the Kevin Love Fund, which prioritizes mental wellness alongside physical health. "We have our four pillars which are stigma, education, tools and research, and we're using all of those to just continuing to create that community and in an effect the masses," he explains.
Love knows better than anyone those tools are key for people struggling or feeling isolated amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"You need to take a step back if you can, and just say, 'Okay, what do I need in the moment? How can I stay present?'" Love adds. It's something he has to continue to practice himself amid what’s been a difficult year.
"I think if 2020 has taught me anything it's to stay present, because we've had the loss of David Stern, Kobe Bryant, we've had the game taken away from us," Love concludes. "Finding balance is the hardest thing to do during this time."
Video produced by Alan Springer
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