“In 2020, I was … ready to walk away from the game.” Giannis Antetokounmpo continues talking, but it is now impossible to comprehend anything he’s saying. “I had that conversation – yes – with the front office. I said…” Wait, what? Walk away? From the game? Is there anyone who loves basketball more than him? What happened in 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic, the resumption of play in the Orlando “bubble,” the public mandates, the empty arenas. The social justice protests. It was defined by mental health professionals as a global health crisis, too. – via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Top Rumors, Mental Health, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
“In 2020, I was ready to walk away from the game. I had that conversation – yes – with the front office. And, you know, very normally, everybody is looking at me like I was crazy. ‘You just signed the largest contract in NBA history and you want to walk away from the game and all that money…?’ Mannnnn, you can take that money and shove it into your…” His youngest son coughs; Giannis continues. “…Sorry for my language. But. I don’t care about that. I care about joy. I’m a joyful person. My father didn’t have nothing; he had us. He was the richest person on earth because he had his kids. He had the beautiful family; he had nothing. This – to me – doesn’t mean nothing.” – via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Mental Health, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
When Giannis made it to the NBA, he couldn’t even validate his own feelings in part because he didn’t know how. “In 2017, 2018, DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love came out public with what they were dealing with,” Giannis said. DeRozan and Love spoke publicly about depression and anxiety, giving license to everyone to do the same. It was such a healthy and selfless thing for DeRozan and Love to do but Giannis was dubious. “I was like: ‘ I don’t understand what this is,’ ” he said. “I don’t. I just… I was young. ‘It’s just basketball; just play.’ But then…you understand: being the MVP, trying to win a championship, trying to help your teammates be great, and then you understand all this…”
His tone is so serious but idk how much I believe it
Entire bucks front office looked at him like WTF
https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2023/04/11/giannis-foundation-provides-many-different-types-of-support/70091667007/