DeMar DeRozan changed what athletes are allowed to say out loud. With one honest late-night post about his depression, the six-time All-Star from Compton opened a conversation about mental health that swept through the NBA and far beyond it, and he has kept that conversation going ever since.
Seven Words That Opened a League
In the early hours of February 17, 2018, during All-Star Weekend in his hometown of Los Angeles, DeRozan posted a short message: "This depression get the best of me..." The response was overwhelming. Fans, strangers and fellow players reached out with support and stories of their own, and a subject long kept silent in professional sports was suddenly being discussed in the open.
The Door Opens for Others
Weeks later, Kevin Love published his essay "Everyone Is Going Through Something," describing his own anxiety and crediting the honesty of players like DeRozan. Teammate Fred VanVleet later said DeRozan changed a billion-dollar business, pretty much single-handedly, by speaking out, and that his courage helped players, coaches and staff feel able to do the same.
The League Builds Support
In 2019 the NBA launched its Mind Health program, expanding mental wellness resources, counseling and support for players on and off the court. DeRozan's openness is widely credited as one of the catalysts that pushed the league to treat mental health as a real part of player care.
Hands-On at Home
DeRozan's service is physical as well as vocal. During that same All-Star Weekend, he and Kyle Lowry spent a day at Jefferson Elementary School in Compton, right across the tracks from his childhood home, painting the courtyard, mixing cement for the playground and visiting classrooms full of students who could see themselves in him.
Dinners with DeMar
DeRozan created a conversation series built around a dinner table, sitting down with fellow athletes including Draymond Green, Dwyane Wade and Damian Lillard for open, lightly edited talks about mental health, pressure and real life. He has also led discussions with student-athletes on college campuses, marveling at how openly young people can now name what they feel.
Above the Noise
His memoir, Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm, written with Dave Zarum, tells the full story: a childhood marked by loss and gang violence in Compton, a mother living with lupus, and the private weight he carried through a celebrated career. The book carries his message to anyone who has ever felt alone in their struggles.
DeRozan in conversation with writer Hanif Abdurraqib about his memoir Above the Noise and learning to speak openly about depression.
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