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DeMar DeRozan Opens Up About Darkness In Concerning Social Media Post
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- DeMar DeRozan Opens Up About Darkness In Concerning Social Media Post
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Denver Nuggets forward DeMar DeRozan has been open about his battle with depression, and he has now sparked concern about his mental well-being. DeRozan took to X on Sunday to share a message about finding comfort in darkness.
"You ever just sit in a dark room and feel like the darkness is the only thing that truly understands you," DeRozan wrote. "No fake smiles, no false hope. Just raw bitter silence…"
It's unclear what compelled DeRozan to put out this message. The 37-year-old has, of course, just begun a new chapter in his basketball career with the Nuggets. He signed a one-year, $3.9 million deal with them in free agency, as he looks to win that elusive NBA championship.
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DeRozan has had a solid start to the 2026-27 season, too, as he is averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game off the bench. This is the first time he has been a reserve since his rookie season, but there has been no indication that he is upset about it.
We'll just have to wait for DeRozan to clear things up. What we do know is that the six-time All-Star opened up about his struggles with depression back in 2018 on X.
"This depression get the best of me," DeRozan wrote.
Mind you, this was during All-Star weekend, and DeRozan had been named an All-Star for the fourth time in five years. The Compton native was getting ready to play in an All-Star Game in Los Angeles, too. You'd have thought he'd be over the moon, but he wasn't.
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It was a reminder that just because someone is at the top of their profession, has millions in their bank account, and has an adoring fanbase, it doesn't mean all is well. DeRozan was fighting inner demons and decided to combat the stigma around depression by letting the world know about it. He had hoped his coming out would give others courage, and it did.
Free agent forward Kevin Love has spoken about DeRozan inspiring him to share his own mental health struggles. The 37-year-old wasn't the first to speak about this, but his message reverberated to the point that the NBA took action a year later.
Since the 2019-20 season, the league has required teams to have a formal relationship with a mental health practitioner and a licensed psychiatrist. Teams must have written plans for mental health emergencies as well. These were excellent measures.
Getting back to DeRozan, he opened up about his struggles in his memoir titled "Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm," which was released on Sept. 10, 2024. He appeared on ESPN's First Take at the time to promote the book, where he spoke about the tweet that started it all.
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"Then, I was extremely lost and not knowing why because everything was going so great for me career-wise," DeRozan said. "At the height of my career, All-Stars, winning, everything was going perfect from a career standpoint, but not knowing emotionally and mentally where I was at.
"I think that night, tweeting that tweet, was me just hitting the wall," DeRozan added. "And everything since then been me kind of trying to build myself back up from a human standpoint."
Here is hoping DeRozan is able to power through whatever is troubling him at this point. He is not on the injury report , so you'd expect him to suit up for the Nuggets against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena on Monday at 10 p.m. ET.
