Hailing from Compton, California, Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan has launched a new series on YouTube called “Dinners with DeMar.” The first episode, featuring Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, is already taking the internet by storm!

DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, has been in the league for 15 years. Beyond his impressive stats (averaging 21.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 1,084 regular-season games), he’s become a beacon of hope for many. He’s one of the few NBA players who openly discusses the stigma surrounding mental health, something he’s been doing for years.

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The first episode of “Dinners with DeMar“, features a heartfelt conversation over dinner. Green beseeches DeRozan for help in seeking therapy, admitting, “As someone who’s done, help me get there because I can’t get there myself.” To help Green understand his own initial reluctance, DeRozan opens up about his own experiences, from the streets of Compton to the therapist’s office.

DeMar admits to initially having the same reservations about therapy, saying, “I’d find every excuse not to go. I remember the first two times I went, I was in there just bulshi***g…I’m doing it a disservice.” He further explained how he initially felt therapists wouldn’t “get” him, given their different backgrounds.

To illustrate, DeRozan shared a dark story from his childhood. He narrated, “When I was 12 years old, I got jumped by 6 dudes because I had on the wrong color and I got to walk back to my grandma house and explain to my mama what just happened.”

A Hopeful Ripple Effect

Despite his initial resistance, DeRozan reached a turning point and told himself, “Let me treat this like it’s a film session and really just indulge in it and see what I can find, you know what I mean, even if it’s one thing I could find like that’s how I really looked at it like a film session. Even though I know what happened in the game let me see if it something I could see that can help me that next possession and that’s how I took the approach about it.”

DeMar DeRozan has truly broken barriers by addressing mental health, a sadly uncommon topic even in 2024! While the episode was filmed in July 2022, its release comes after Green’s very public outbursts and struggles in late 2023 and early 2024. One can only hope it encourages open discussions and supports those like Green who are trying to navigate through mental health challenges.

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