October 22, 2024
NBA Player DeMar DeRozan Discusses Mental Health In New Book
The Sacramento Kings player details his struggle in 'Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm'
Newly-acquired Sacramento Kings player DeMar DeRozan has been a mental health advocate and his latest move involved releasing a tome that chronicles his journey.
He announced plans to release the book, Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm on his social media account earlier this year. The book was released on Sept. 10 and is available online on various sites.
“This is my story of chasing calm.
My memoir ABOVE THE NOISE is now available for preorder. Check the link in my bio to preorder your copy today.
According to The Associated Press, the former Chicago Bulls player admitted that this journey started after he sent out a Tweet in 2018.
This depression get the best of me…
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) February 17, 2018
He stated the admission in the book.
“I wrote my tweet during a moment of vulnerability and transparency. But that moment had passed,” DeRozan stated. “Now I was on the job, so to speak, doing my duty. So I went back to being myself, suppressing my true feelings and sweeping it all under the rug. Deep down, their worry meant a lot to me.”
Although mental health has been a taboo topic, specifically for Black men, he stated that after sending out that Tweet, concerns for his well-being started pouring in, even getting attention from fellow players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Even the NBA front office inquired about his thought process.
“The way I saw it, all I had done was shared an honest moment — the kind of thing countless people are feeling on any given day,” DeRozan said in the book. “Neither of us realized it at the time, but it was a perspective that hadn’t been expressed by an athlete at my level on that kind of platform.”
The book may be out, but the journey doesn’t stop as it is a daily struggle at times.
Today is World Mental Health Day! Working everyday to seek out and appreciate moments of calm has been a big part of my mental health journey. Let’s create a world where everyone feels safe to talk about their mental health struggles. pic.twitter.com/xUNeAe0Fjf
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) October 10, 2024