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Exclusive: Paul George Partners With BetterHelp to Advance Mental Health Awareness
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When LA Clippers star Paul George opened up about his mental health struggles in 2020, he joined a short list of NBA players who had spoken up about their internal battles. At that time, George had been fighting against these feelings, believing he could keep them internal. When that no longer became possible, he made the decision to open up and seek help.
In an exclusive interview, George detailed his decision to open up about his mental health battles, and revealed a new partnership that will provide access to free mental health services for people in need.
"It kinda just happened on my own," George said about opening up in 2020. "But I'll be honest, I was one of those people that thought I was invincible, and I was stronger than any human being, and I could handle everything internally. It kind of just gets to a point where it overflows, and you don't have any direction, and you don't know where to go, and you don't have the answers. That's really what it came down to. I didn't have the answers. And it took me to finally realize that I wasn't perfect, and that there is stuff that goes on that I have no control over, and I need an answer for. That's where I was mentally at that moment."
Having gone to multiple therapists since deciding to no longer keep his mental battles internal, George is a huge advocate for therapy. This is one of the reasons he decided to partner with BetterHelp on an initiative that is giving up to $3M worth of free mental health services to people in need.
BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, and through their partnership with athletes like Paul George, Venus Williams, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz, they are attempting to de-stigmatize mental health, while offering free services to those who need them. To sign up for one month of free therapy, go to http://www.betterhelp.com/Paulgeorge.
When asked about this partnership, George said, "It just was natural. I think it's not talked about enough, as far as the mental health side. And, you know, it's here, it's very much here. It's a part of everyone's life. Everyone goes through something, everyone's been through something. Everyone has a story, and everyone has a reaction to their story... I heard of what they were doing, and I wanted to be a part of it. I love what they're doing, bringing awareness to it, and I see this being a great step and a great chapter in everyone's life, to kind of be able to open up and just express themselves, and answer questions that they might have been afraid to ask. I think it's just a step in the right direction."
With this partnership offering free therapy opportunities, George expressed his own experiences with therapy, explaining how it helped him find answers he wasn't able to find on his own.
"I've gone down the path of multiple therapists," George said. "I've used various therapists to help me out, help me through life, through relationships, through being focused, game preparation, I've used them throughout the latter part of my career, and they've helped tremendously. So I'm a huge advocate that therapists are there to help. And it's not just a cliche of talking to someone, like they actually will give you answers that you didn't necessarily see, or answers that you couldn't have come up with. So it's just good to get a different perspective. And a lot of times, it's just good to hear yourself talk about it. Because if you're able to admit where you're having an issue - that's the biggest problem right there, is admitting what the issue is. I think a lot of people struggle with that part alone."
A big reason why people struggle with admitting they need help, is the stigma that surrounds mental health. This is often magnified when professional athletes come forward, as their contracts and stardom are seen as impenetrable shields. Fighting to defeat this stigma, Paul George wants people to know that athletes struggle too.
"I think people think because we we make a lot of money, because we have a lot of money, that money cures everything," George said. "I almost feel like people should check on us more because of our circumstances."
George continued by detailing a unique struggle that is not often considered. Having achieved financial security through the NBA, George said it can break a person down when they see the people they came up with still in the struggle that they've now escaped. While having the resources to support these people is a blessing, it's one that comes with a lot of pressure. Bearing the weight of this is something that George believes is a shared experience amongst professional athletes that isn't often considered.
"I really think it's a huge stereotype that athletes are superior, athletes are superheroes. We go through a lot of stuff, and we put a bandaid on it by going out and competing. But once we're done competing, we go home, and there's not 20,000 people screaming at you, yelling your name and cheering for you. The fact of the matter is, it's other questions, and other things that you gotta go home and answer. It's really difficult as an athlete to turn it off. When you're in the game, you're worried about your game plan, you're worried about the X's and O's, you're worried about who you're guarding, and worried about making shots. Your mind doesn't allow your mind to just stand still. When you're not playing, your mind wanders, your mind goes, so it can be tough. It can be tough if you don't know how to cope with that."
Another athlete who recently opened up about their mental health struggles, is Paul George's teammate John Wall. Having read Wall's story, some of which George already knew as his friend, and some of which was new, George is happy his teammate came forward with this battle.
"I'm happy that he broke his silence and said his piece, and gave the world a little insight into what was going on, and what he was dealing with - and got help," George said of Wall. "So many people can draw from his experience, and can find comfort in knowing that if John can do it, if John can be strong enough to say, 'Hey, I need help,' then I can do it too. No one is above those feelings. No one is above what it takes to say, 'Hey, I'm not okay.' So I was just happy for him, and I'm definitely happy that he found help."
Before this discussion came to a close, George shared a message of support for anybody who is fighting a mental health battle.
"Regardless of whatever you're going through, there's always a brighter side," George said. "It's not the end all be all. There's a way to attack every problem or issue that you're going through. It might be dark for you at the moment, but there is opportunity there. There is positivity on the other side. I think the first thing is just admitting that you need help. I think it's admitting where the problem is, and attacking it. There's no weakness in saying that I'm not 100%, I'm not perfect. There's no weakness in that. If I can give any advice, it's that regardless of what you're going through, you can get through it."
