Silent Struggles To Tough Battles: Damian Lillard Gets Raw About His Mental Health Journey

“Dinners With DeMar”, the brainchild of Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan, is basically a therapeutic space with delicious food and good company. DeRozan decided to tackle the stigma around mental health, first by wrestling with it himself, and now by inviting his fellow NBA comrades to the table for a heart-to-heart. The 3rd episode of “Dinners With DeMar” features none other than Bucks superstar Damian Lillard.

Lillard opens up, stating, “For me, like you said, you start making money everybody start depending on you, you got to perform. You got that pressure to deal with so it’s just a lot that we got to with all of a sudden when we was never taught how to manage all of these different things and I think you know we just get so caught up in our day-to-day you know show up to practice, do your workout, watch film.”

Dame continues, opening up in a raw and emotional manner, “We get so caught up in that, that we don’t realize the impact that our life its entirety is having on us and I think that’s something I ignored for a long time but I never knew, we never had no mental health conversations and depression and all those type of things so I just feel like, man I gotta get through it you know I gotta keep working through it.”

Beyond The Court: Dame & Deebo

Despite the grueling NBA schedule, 8-time All-Star Damian Lillard took a break to show his support for a friend. Lillard, fresh off an incredible performance with the Milwaukee Bucks, made a surprise trip to Chicago to watch his former Team USA teammate DeMar DeRozan play.

DeRozan, pleasantly ambushed by Lillard’s loyalty, revealed in a post-game interview that Lillard texted him for tickets to the game against Dame’s former team, the Portland Trail Blazers. “It was cool,” DeRozan said, highlighting their close bond. “I woke up from my nap and he texted me. And I was like, ‘Alright, I got you with my tickets.’ That’s one of my good friends outside of basketball. To see him come out here and support me and watch his old team was cool.”

This display of camaraderie goes deeper than just on-court battles. Both Lillard and DeRozan share the same agent, Aaron Goodwin, and their friendship extends beyond the hardwood.

The Milwaukee Bucks continued their winning streak on Sunday, securing a dominant 140-129 victory against the Phoenix Suns. This win holds extra weight considering the absence of their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, due to a hamstring injury. Stepping into the spotlight was Damian Lillard, who orchestrated the Bucks’ offense and ensured they remained on top of the powerful Suns. Lillard, currently averaging a staggering stat line of 24.4 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game.

After the incredible performances, Dame went to visit his friend and open up about mental health on DeMar’s thought-provoking podcast. What can’t Dame do?

Read More: Cornerstone Shift in Milwaukee? Damian Lillard Shines As Bucks’ New Force, Raising Doubts on Giannis’ Dominance