DeMar DeRozan has always found a way to score on the basketball court, and now he’s using that same motivation to inspire people to talk about their mental health.

DeMar DeRozan has always found a way to score on the basketball court, and now he’s using that same motivation to inspire people to talk about their mental health.

DeRozan, who has been one of the NBA’s leading mental health advocates for years, wrote “Above the Noise,” a memoir about his childhood in Compton, Calif., the greatest hits of his 15-year career as a professional basketball player and his struggles with depression. Although the 35-year-old has long spoken about his personal struggles in podcasts and interviews, he wanted to write about his experiences to try to find another way to reach people.

“I’m just trying to reach out to anybody who feels alone, more than anything,” DeRozan said in a phone interview. “Anybody who feels alone, who feels like the struggles they’re going through are too much to overcome.”

“To show that it is possible to get through this, and also to encourage them to be vulnerable and find strength in that vulnerability, and to show that it is an ongoing journey.”

In “Above the Noise,” DeRozan discusses growing up poor, losing friends to gang violence, and having to practice basketball in dilapidated school gyms and community centers. Selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA draft, DeRozan also discusses the challenges of making a name for himself in Canada, the pressures of playing with veteran athletes at the age of 20, and the pain of losing role models.

DeRozan also discusses the pain he felt when he was traded from Toronto to the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2018, a deal that brought superstar Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors and led to their run to the NBA championship in 2019.

It was the heartbreak over that trade and the birth of his daughter that prompted DeRozan to go public with his struggles with depression. He said there has been a shift in how NBA players talk about their mental health since he arrived in the league, a change he is proud to have helped bring about.

“It’s become a norm to hear players talk about the struggles and things they’ve had to deal with,” DeRozan said. “Whether it’s because of a trade, high expectations that weren’t met, family situations they went through while they were playing, what happened when the money came in, you’re starting to hear more and more of those stories.”

The 1.98m wing averaged 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 1,110 games with Toronto, San Antonio and the Chicago Bulls. He was a six-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA team three times.

Chicago traded DeRozan and Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings on July 8 in a sign-and-trade deal that sent Chris Duarte, RaiQuan Gray and draft considerations to the Bulls.

DeRozan said he expects Sacramento to “go out there and be competitive.”

“I’ve been pushing myself all summer to come into training camp this season, the best version of myself to be able to come in, go out there and be ready to help the team do whatever it takes for us to really compete at a high level,” DeRozan said.

The Kings visit the Raptors on Nov. 2, but DeRozan will be back in Toronto well before then. Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett will interview him at Indigo at The Well in Toronto on Friday night.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2024.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press


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