Mental Health and the NBA

[Gman]

Saw this article and thought it was pretty good...

How Celtics' Grant Williams used his big breakout to teach rookies about mental health

'To be able to say you came out on the other side is amazing,' Williams said, so he wants to help others do it

www.cbssports.com

I love Husky Grant, first of all. He has always been gregarious, and it seems like he has found his perfect niche in the league.

Second of all: great topic. Imagine being 19 or 20 years old, and getting drafted into the NBA:

• You have lots of money
  • Maybe you have family to take care of?
• You gotta live in a new place (almost certainly)
  • Meaning basically total change-out in peer group
• Adult stuff such as finding new place to live, new car, etc
• You gotta be a professional now
  • Strict routine in season, need to diet, etc
  • You have to perform and live up
  • You're no longer the best player on the court just by showing up (as has been the case the rest of your life)
• Temptation to be young and live the great life must be hard to wrestle with

^ And you got all of this on your plate all at once.

It's a lot... I don't know if I could have dealt with it well when I was 19.

Sh!t... I get down on myself and lose confidence if I miss a few shots in a pick-up game. And I was always shy around girls... but if I had some fame and money and they were throwing themselves at me... sh!t.

Anyway: good article... give it a read if you have the time.

 

[trojanfan12]

Yeah, on the surface it kind of seems like "Oh, the poor kid who had all of his dreams come true has it really hard".

But, I grew up dreaming of playing in the NFL or NBA and I've wondered what it would have been like if I had made it.

All I can say is, I would hope that I was smart enough to have my parents live with me and listen to them because I don't think it would have been pretty otherwise. lol

 

[Cyder]

With these kids entering the league younger and younger this is a good idea. Help with financial planning is also a plus and I think something they are also doing.

 

[DJ]

In sports in general.....

Antonio Brown, etc.

 

[CitySushi]

Yeah, on the surface it kind of seems like "Oh, the poor kid who had all of his dreams come true has it really hard".

But, I grew up dreaming of playing in the NFL or NBA and I've wondered what it would have been like if I had made it.

All I can say is, I would hope that I was smart enough to have my parents live with me and listen to them because I don't think it would have been pretty otherwise. lol

The problem is a lot of these players aren't lucky enough to have a home life that promotes financial knowledge. There are so many players in the NBA and NFL who grew up impoverished and have many other family and friends in that same situation. When you earn 2M, that seems like extreme wealth. But after taxes, agent fees, general costs of living, that number reduces dramatically. On top of that they feel obligated most times to help out others because if you have 1M in the bank and you see your friend struggling to make rent, don't you want to help?

It begins a cycle of having to learn to say no. They're not savvy with investing yet. On top of that they'll have all sorts of predatory people trying to surround themselves around the player to get theirs. There's a process of them learning how to say no to things. Because now all of a sudden they are in a world where really anything is possible. Want a Lambo? Sure you got it. Want to rent a vacation house for 25k a month? No problem. Expensive overseas trips? Easy. And no one else around them is going to tell them not to do it.

There's a huge mental burden on these kids. I mean I think about the decisions I made at 19 and I cringe. Now amplify that by adding a few million into my bank account and there could be some real problems that arise.

 

[trojanfan12]

When you earn 2M, that seems like extreme wealth. But after taxes, agent fees, general costs of living, that number reduces dramatically. On top of that they feel obligated most times to help out others because if you have 1M in the bank and you see your friend struggling to make rent, don't you want to help?

It begins a cycle of having to learn to say no. They're not savvy with investing yet. On top of that they'll have all sorts of predatory people trying to surround themselves around the player to get theirs.

Agree with everything you posted. I quoted this part because it reminded me of something that speaks exactly to this point.

My wife used to watch that Keeping Up With The Kardashians show. She was watching when Khloe Kardashian was dating Lamar Odom. My wife showed me a clip where Khloe was going over Lamar's finances with him. I remember being a bit surprised at how many peoples rent he was paying every month and how many cars he had bought for folks.

I remember her explaining how unsustainable it was. He seemed to understand that it wasn't sustainable, but he kept saying "But these are friends and family".

 

[Picklerick 2.0]

Saw this article and thought it was pretty good...

How Celtics' Grant Williams used his big breakout to teach rookies about mental health

'To be able to say you came out on the other side is amazing,' Williams said, so he wants to help others do it

www.cbssports.com

I love Husky Grant, first of all. He has always been gregarious, and it seems like he has found his perfect niche in the league.

Second of all: great topic. Imagine being 19 or 20 years old, and getting drafted into the NBA:

• You have lots of money
  • Maybe you have family to take care of?
• You gotta live in a new place (almost certainly)
  • Meaning basically total change-out in peer group
• Adult stuff such as finding new place to live, new car, etc
• You gotta be a professionalnow
  • Strict routine in season, need to diet, etc
  • You have to perform and live up
  • You're no longer the best player on the court just by showing up (as has been the case the rest of your life)
• Temptation to be young and live the great life must be hard to wrestle with

^ And you got all of this on your plate all at once.

It's a lot... I don't know if I could have dealt with it well when I was 19.

Sh!t... I get down on myself and lose confidence if I miss a few shots in a pick-up game. And I was always shy around girls... but if I had some fame and money and they were throwing themselves at me... sh!t.

Anyway: good article... give it a read if you have the time.

Very honest and well written post gman.

 

[tlance]

In sports in general.....

Antonio Brown, etc.

That is different.

Would bet anything AB has CTE.

 

[shopson67]

Sounds like more of a maturity problem than mental health (the original topic, not AB lol).

 

[Gman]

Sounds like more of a maturity problem than mental health (the original topic, not AB lol).

Fair point... the phrase 'mental health' is probably thrown around a little too broadly.

Whatever we call it, it's better to have some dialogue/action on this front rather than the old school "be quiet and man up" approach.

 

[DrewScott]

Every one of these young athletes have agents. I would think that the agent would also provide some financial advice. Present the athlete with three different options for allocating a certain amount for safe conservative investments, allocate a certain amount to taking care of immediate family, and allocate a certain (smaller) amount for spending money. Bring in a representative from merrill Lynch and show the athlete 3 different plans and have him pick one.

 

[tlance]

Every one of these young athletes have agents. I would think that the agent would also provide some financial advice. Present the athlete with three different options for allocating a certain amount for safe conservative investments, allocate a certain amount to taking care of immediate family, and allocate a certain (smaller) amount for spending money. Bring in a representative from merrill Lynch and show the athlete 3 different plans and have him pick one.

I don’t think you understand.

A lot of these guys come up with nothing. They don’t have any fiscally responsible role models in their lives.

Then they come into a seemingly endless supply of money compared to what they have known all their lives.

Regardless of who is giving financial advice, restraint is a totally foreign concept.

So it gets squandered.

 

[DJ]

Every one of these young athletes have agents. I would think that the agent would also provide some financial advice. Present the athlete with three different options for allocating a certain amount for safe conservative investments, allocate a certain amount to taking care of immediate family, and allocate a certain (smaller) amount for spending money. Bring in a representative from merrill Lynch and show the athlete 3 different plans and have him pick one.

Easier said than done when most have grown up poor.

 

[DJ]

I don’t think you understand.

A lot of these guys come up with nothing. They don’t have any fiscally responsible role models in their lives.

Then they come into a seemingly endless supply of money compared to what they have known all their lives.

Regardless of who is giving financial advice, restraint is a totally foreign concept.

So it gets squandered.

Lance ninja'd me.

Agree with this 150%.

 

[The Q]

Saw this article and thought it was pretty good...

How Celtics' Grant Williams used his big breakout to teach rookies about mental health

'To be able to say you came out on the other side is amazing,' Williams said, so he wants to help others do it

www.cbssports.com

I love Husky Grant, first of all. He has always been gregarious, and it seems like he has found his perfect niche in the league.

Second of all: great topic. Imagine being 19 or 20 years old, and getting drafted into the NBA:

• You have lots of money
  • Maybe you have family to take care of?
• You gotta live in a new place (almost certainly)
  • Meaning basically total change-out in peer group
• Adult stuff such as finding new place to live, new car, etc
• You gotta be a professionalnow
  • Strict routine in season, need to diet, etc
  • You have to perform and live up
  • You're no longer the best player on the court just by showing up (as has been the case the rest of your life)
• Temptation to be young and live the great life must be hard to wrestle with

^ And you got all of this on your plate all at once.

It's a lot... I don't know if I could have dealt with it well when I was 19.

Sh!t... I get down on myself and lose confidence if I miss a few shots in a pick-up game. And I was always shy around girls... but if I had some fame and money and they were throwing themselves at me... sh!t.

Anyway: good article... give it a read if you have the time.

some of these guys were smart and had their mom come live with them for first year or two of their careers rather than buy them a new house they couldn't afford to upkeep (or just drain the kids bank account)

 

[BigKen]

Agree with everything you posted. I quoted this part because it reminded me of something that speaks exactly to this point.

My wife used to watch that Keeping Up With The Kardashians show. She was watching when Khloe Kardashian was dating Lamar Odom. My wife showed me a clip where Khloe was going over Lamar's finances with him. I remember being a bit surprised at how many peoples rent he was paying every month and how many cars he had bought for folks.

I remember her explaining how unsustainable it was. He seemed to understand that it wasn't sustainable, but he kept saying "But these are friends and family".

Good points.

I read an article a long time ago that the biggest problem for rookies in any league is breaking from their past.

Friends from the hood and school become the largest drain of money for young athletes. One or two become fifteen and very quickly, the athlete has become the major source of income for a group of guys who can barely read a comic strip let alone brush their teeth. The athlete is made to feel that he responsible for keeping all of these people off the street. It becomes a guilt complex. Oddly, while the article never mentioned color, the way it was written really pushed it toward black athletes.

The one thing that all of these hangers-on will prevent at any cost, is a true loving relationship for the athlete. Especially if the woman is educated. Smart women will move all of their asses out of his house and keep the athlete to herself.

Kinda hard to concentrate on your job if your life is in constant turmoil.

 

[The Q]

Good points.

I read an article a long time ago that the biggest problem for rookies in any league is breaking from their past.

Friends from the hood and school become the largest drain of money for young athletes. One or two become fifteen and very quickly, the athlete has become the major source of income for a group of guys who can barely read a comic strip let alone brush their teeth. The athlete is made to feel that he responsible for keeping all of these people off the street. It becomes a guilt complex. Oddly, while the article never mentioned color, the way it was written really pushed it toward black athletes.

The one thing that all of these hangers-on will prevent at any cost, is a true loving relationship for the athlete. Especially if the woman is educated. Smart women will move all of their asses out of his house and keep the athlete to herself.

Kinda hard to concentrate on your job if your life is in constant turmoil.

In a law article I wrote back in the day; we discovered that at one point in his career Lamar Odom was paying like 37 cell phone bills

 

[flyerhawk]

Mental health concerns are a real thing for many many people, regardless of how wealthy or successful they are.

Kurt Cobain put a shotgun to his mouth when he was one of the biggest artists in the world.

On other hand, Ben Simmons is just full of shit..

Simmons: 76ers didn't give me mental health help I needed

Simmons, who went on J.J. Redick's podcast, said certain 76ers teammates, coaches and staffers didn't give him the support he needed.

theathletic.com

 

[thunderc]

Mental health concerns are a real thing for many many people, regardless of how wealthy or successful they are.

Kurt Cobain put a shotgun to his mouth when he was one of the biggest artists in the world.

On other hand, Ben Simmons is just full of shit..

Simmons: 76ers didn't give me mental health help I needed

Simmons, who went on J.J. Redick's podcast, said certain 76ers teammates, coaches and staffers didn't give him the support he needed.

theathletic.com

Ok file the huge lawsuit then. Yeah, what I thought.

 

[The Q]

Ok file the huge lawsuit then. Yeah, what I thought.

The cba would override.

Don’t play lawyer