The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is currently going on in Boston and features a number of interesting talks and panel discussions. One of them featured NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who spoke about a number of topics regarding the future of the league, including potential changes for the All-Star Game.
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Easily the most notable comment from Silver, however, was his one about the mental health of players in the league. Via ESPN:
Silver also talked about the vibe he gets when he meets players, who sometimes feel isolated and unhappy, despite the league's prosperity and their own.
"We are living in a time of anxiety," Silver said. "I think it's a direct result of social media. A lot of players are unhappy."
"I'm an anxious person myself," he said, joking a little. "That's why the players like talking to me."
While this, of course, doesn't apply to every single player, it's notable that enough players have mentioned something along the lines of being unhappy for Silver to comment on it during this discussion.
Over the past few years, the discussion and stigma surrounding mental health has gotten much healthier -- not just in the NBA but in society in general. Multiple players, namely DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love, have played an important role in changing the narrative through the telling of their stories.
DeRozan and Love's battles with mental health issues, as well as Silver's comment about players being unhappy, shows that money nor fame can solve everything. Last year, the league and the NBA Player's Association announced a mental wellness program, which should make strides in helping players with these kinds of issues.
