UCLA's Lauren Betts Empowers With ESPY's Mental Health Speech

Lauren Betts, who led UCLA to the 2026 NCAA Tournament Championship as the Most Outstanding Player, gave a heartfelt and memorable speech at the ESPYs on Wednesday night. Betts was named the 2025-26 Best College Athlete for Women's Sports.

Betts thanked her UCLA teammates and coaches, saying that she loved them and would not be here without them. The message in Betts' speech primarily focused on her mental health journey. Betts has frequently been open about her mental health journey since transferring from Stanford to UCLA following her freshman season.

Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the National Championship game of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"My mental health journey and everything that I speak up about and what I'm really open about...I just want people...that know about my journey...protecting my peace has been the one thing that I've been as fierce about with chasing my dreams. Your mental health is not separate from your success. It is the foundation of everything that you do. And the strongest people aren't the ones who never struggle. They're the ones who have the courage to let someone walk through their struggle with them."
UCLA National champion Lauren Betts

Betts Penned a Players' Tribune Article About Mental Health

In an article she wrote for The Players' Tribune in March, Betts discussed her battles with suicidal thoughts. The former UCLA star said, "Then, when I transferred to UCLA, there was hype around my name, and I just never dealt with my emotions. Gradually, it became really bad, until I started drowning."

In the article, Betts discussed checking into the psych ward at UCLA Hospital. The suicidal thoughts became too intrusive, and Betts knew she needed help. Betts mentioned she needed help, or she was "doomed."

Lauren Betts receives her ESPY award for Best Collegiate Athlete 👏 pic.twitter.com/DGGHp7OLVB
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) July 16, 2026

Betts Dealing With Height

Betts discussed her extreme height compared to her classmates growing up. Her teacher, Mr. Swanson, was tall and helped her be more comfortable with herself. Playing basketball became Betts' sanctuary, as it was "super freeing" to her.

Betts became nationally known at 15 when she made the USA U16 national team. In six games in 2019 with the U16 USA national team, Betts averaged 12.2 points per game, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. Led by Betts, the USA won the Gold Medal with an 83-37 win over Canada.

Betts Transferring to UCLA

Transferring to UCLA after an abysmal freshman year at Stanford was the turning point of Betts' career. Betts averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.5 RPG, playing 9.6 minutes in 33 games with no starts as a freshman at Stanford during the 2022-23 season. In three seasons at UCLA, Betts averaged 14.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.9 assists, and 2.0 BPG.

UCLA improved in each of Betts' three seasons. The Bruins lost in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal to LSU in 2024 and to Connecticut in the Final Four in 2025, before finishing with 37 wins and one loss on their way to the National Championship in 2026.

Lauren Betts' ESPYS acceptance speech for Best College Athlete - Women's Sports, shed light on battling mental health 💚 pic.twitter.com/U54ByDyG9m
— espnW (@espnW) July 16, 2026

In Betts' three seasons, UCLA won 64 games and lost seven. UCLA avenged its only loss during the 2025-26 season to Texas when it beat the Longhorns in the Final Four. Betts was the anchor of an incredible senior class for the Bruins, but her legacy advocating for mental health will have a longer -lasting impact.

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