Minnesota Timberwolves: Former Wolves star Kevin Love opens up about mental health

Former Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love is opening up further about mental health, and more specifically his struggle with anxiety and depression.

Kevin Love is a five-time All-Star, including three appearances as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He left Minnesota amidst rumors of a trade request, and after several months of will-they-or-won’t-they, Flip Saunders sent Love to Cleveland in exchange for three players, including current Wolf and No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins.

Since heading to Cleveland, Love has been a lightning rod for criticism; much of it unfair and some of it deserved.

One of the items that ultimately fell into the category of being plainly unfair was when Kevin Love abruptly left the court and headed to the locker room during a game against Atlanta last fall. He was tested for a mysterious medical issue that was ultimately diagnosed as a panic attack, although Love (understandably) didn’t open up about the issue until months later.

ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan has published a lengthy story (part two in a five-part series about mental health) about those that are courageously fighting to help erase the stigma of mental illnesses in the NBA. The focal point of her piece is Love.

Love had more than one conversation with MacMullan about his struggle, dating all the way back to the NBA All-Star break in February. He progressively became more open about his depression and anxiety, and has helped encourage others in the NBA, including DeMar DeRozan, who spoke about depression in February, and recently-retired players (Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce are both profiled in MacMullan’s article) to be more open about their conditions.

"Through more than 20 interviews with current and former NBA players, a recurring theme that emerged was the false public perception that because professional athletes are famous and wealthy, their lives are idyllic.“You think when you come from a difficult environment that if you get out and you make it to the NBA, all that bad stuff is supposed to be wiped clean,” DeRozan says. “But then this whole new dynamic loaded with stress comes your way."

It’s an outstanding article, and the five-part ESPN series is a great idea and appears to have been executed well.

Let’s hope for the best for Love, DeRozan, Bosh, Pierce, and others, and thank them for standing up and talking about things that are, put simply, not easy to talk about. They’re doing the right thing, and they should be commended for it.