With 27 points against the Raptors, DeMar DeRozan shone in Spurs’ victory over his old franchise. What to receive the compliments of Kyle Lowry et Nick Nurse.
But already before the meeting, Fred VanVleet had stressed the importance of the back in the world of the NBA. Not just for his performances or his All-Star Game appearances, but for being the first to talk about a taboo subject in the league and in sport in general: depression.
“He changed a business that weighs several billion dollars”, recalls the 2019 champion at The Star. “Speaking of it openly, he changed pretty much everything. It is obvious that now the players are more comfortable talking about it. Its impact, which cannot be measured, will remain important for the league, the players and the coaches. It’s DeMar DeRozan and yet, like everyone else, shit happens to him. “
“Sacred courage and heart”
If it was Kevin Love, with his text on his panic attack in the middle of a game and his work afterwards, who became the face of the fight to talk about mental health in the NBA, the interior of the Cavaliers was inspired by the speech by DeMar DeRozan and publicly praised him in 2018.
The latter, admitting to suffering from depression and loneliness, had assured “Not to be ashamed” of this disease which sometimes took over.
“It takes a lot of courage and heart to do that”, continues Fred VanVleet. “And it helped me in my personal life to be comfortable with certain things. It opened my eyes to things I was ignorant of. It was special for him to do this and it is even more important now, with the pandemic. People’s sanity has been put aside, and we should take more care of it and keep it front and center. “
And if the two players have only shared two seasons together, the San Antonio player has deeply marked that of Toronto, who was then starting his career.
“He is one of the essential guys in my career, on and off the pitch”, he concludes. “He gave me a lot of knowledge, cow love. I learned so much by watching him, seeing him every day getting ready, training, working and playing night after night. I have enormous respect for him. “
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