Andre Drummond addresses absence: "I had to take some time away to really clear my mind and address some things that I'd been neglecting for awhile"

Chicago Bulls big man Andre Drummond recently addressed the reason for his absence from the game against the Los Angeles Lakers last week, explaining it was vital for him to take care of his mental health in order to continue playing the game he loves.

Still has a lot of work to do

Playing in his second game since missing the Lakers game for "personal reasons," the former All-Star had a tepid performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday with just two points and three rebounds. Drummond had six points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a block, and two steals in Chicago's win over the Charlotte Hornets last Friday.

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"I had to take some time away to really clear my mind and address some things that I'd been neglecting for a while," Drummond said. "I feel okay. Obviously, I still have a lot of work to do with my mental. But we have a job to do. And that's to win basketball games and get to the playoffs."

Still human

Last week, Drummond posted on Twitter that he was deleting his social media apps as a measure to help him improve his mental health. It was a rare peek behind the curtain of a professional athlete's personal struggles.

"We're looked at as superheroes, like nothing really bothers us and we don't have a life outside of the game," Drummond added. "That's what people fail to understand, that we do have personal lives outside of the game of basketball. And it becomes taxing at times. That superhero cape we have on has to come off at some point. It's okay to ask for help. It's okay to feel. It's okay to be emotional."

Andre Drummond on taking time to focus on mental health:

“That superhero cape we have on has to come off at some point. It’s OK to ask for help. It’s OK to feel. It’s OK to be emotional.”

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