Former NBA player Larry Sanders says that he often felt like a “product” during his time in the league as he grappled with the anxiety that came with his career as an athlete. In a recent episode of No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, Sanders, 33, recounted his early days in basketball, and how he struggled to adapt to the rigid standards and requirements that came with playing pro.
Source: Natasha Dye @ People
Source: Natasha Dye @ People
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After being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2010, Sanders said it became “an issue” for him as he tried to “conform to someone else’s standards.” “You know, I like living life on my terms because I can and thrive,” he elaborated, adding, “Being talked to certain kind of ways, kind of that bought and sold atmosphere … I ain’t really like that s–t.” -via People / May 11, 2022
“It was helping,” he said of the marijuana. “My most consistent year of smoking weed and playing was when I averaged three blocks and a double-double.” But in 2015, Sanders was suspended for 10 games after multiple failed drug tests, according to USA Today. “It was like, ‘I know what’s good for me. I know these alternatives that you all are offering me are going to put me in a weaker position in the long term,’ ” Sanders said of the NBA’s alternative suggestions of anxiety treatment, which he didn’t specify. The athlete added, “I knew what helped and what worked. It always came down to legalities.” -via People / May 11, 2022
Retired NBA player Jumaine Jones had a real conversation with meet and greet attendees. Jones said growing up with basketball was his only escape from reality. “Basketball saved my life. When I retired in 2015, I went into a deep depression because my coping method was gone,” Jones said, during a recent Valdosta visit. -via Valdosta Daily Times / April 29, 2022
