31-year-old NBA guard John Wall recently spoke about his mental health while struggling with injuries, family issues, and COVID-19.

According to Bleacher Report, back in 2019, John Wall tore his Achilles when he slipped and fell in his home. This injury caused him to miss the entire NBA season. On top of this, his mother struggled with cancer, causing her to pass away in December of 2019. A year later his grandmother died as well. John Wall was dealing with all of this while a pandemic was forming around him. In an ESPN article, Wall describes how he had to sit with his mother for multiple days while she was taking her final breaths. Wall goes as far as saying “At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide.”

This story comes at a time when many athletes are speaking up about mental health and its importance. Many other famous athletes such as Serena Williams, Kevin Love, and Michele Phelps have opened up about their struggles with anxiety and depression and how they overcame them. Some athletes such as tennis star Naomi Osaka have even withdrew from events to focus on their mental health.

This trend has split sides recently. Many people believe that these athletes get paid way too much money to sit out of events, and believe that the athletes should focus on their sport rather than being an advocate for things like mental health. Others believe that athletes speaking up about their own struggles makes it easier for people to begin opening up about their mental health struggles and be less hesitant to get the help that they need.

Personally, I think that this is a step in the right direction. Professional athletes are human just like me and you. It is important that they take care of their mental health just as much as their physical health. Being under a constant spotlight can be mentally draining and can often become too much to handle.

Let me know your thoughts on this situation in the comments.