From the outside looking in, people assume that professional athletes have the best job in the world. They earn vast sums of money playing the sport they love, enjoy adoration from millions of fans, and have the means to support and care for family and friends in ways most people can only imagine. However, their life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Professional athletes have to play under immense pressure, which will eventually take a toll on their mental health, and DeMar DeRozan is no stranger to this.

With the NBA being the pinnacle of basketball, it goes without saying that NBA hoopers compete in extremely high-pressure environments. Furthermore, players also have to endure online (and sometimes physical) abuse from a certain rogue section of fans. Despite such an immense mental burden, few players publicly talk about their mental health.

However, Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan isn’t one of them. DeRozan has always publicly talked about the pitfalls of NBA fame and pressure. So much so that Brett Rapkin, CEO of Podium Pictures, stated that DeRozan belongs on the Mount Rushmore of athletes who have spoken about their mental health.

DeMar DeRozan didn’t have the best childhood, as he grew up around gang violence in Compton. In an interview, DeRozan spoke about the mental scars of witnessing the death of family members and friends due to gang violence. He said, “I was thrown into so much of an aggressive nature of life. I remember, being a kid, sitting at family funerals, seeing family heartbreak … seeing my mom cry all night and hearing the pain in her voice.” He further added, “Family members, losing cousins, losing friends, having people incarcerated where you just hear the sadness, the aggressiveness, the pain of being locked behind bars.”

DeMar DeRozan’s willingness to discuss mental health is praiseworthy, particularly in today’s social media-driven world, where negativity can be amplified. However, a recent development has taken his mental health advocacy to another level.

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DeMar DeRozan’s new podcast

The Chicago Bulls star recently announced the launch of his new podcast, “Dinners with DeMar.” The podcast will be streamed on YouTube and aims to provide professional athletes with a safe space to talk openly about their careers, fame, and mental health. In an interview with GQ, DeMar said, “I wanted people that I already had a direct relationship with, so you could see the genuineness that comes from our conversations.”

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For the first episode of the new podcast, DeMar DeRozan called a good friend and Golden State Warriors stalwart, Draymond Green. The two NBA stars had candid conversations about mental health, the pressure of fame, and Draymond’s notoriety. DeRozan’s effort to provide fans with something new has garnered praise from all corners of the basketball fraternity.

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