Kevin Love: Human?!

I used to be neutral about Kevin Love. He was a star for the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, a team I hadn't really cared about for years. He had an attitude, kinda turned into a modern-day Christian Laettner (as in becoming a jerk), and moved on to bigger and gooder things with LeBron James in Cleveland.

I got annoyed with him during the lead up to Love going to Cleveland, then returned to neutral when he left.

And now, I'm a (bit of a) fan.

Love penned (typed?) an essay for The Players Tribune, where he revealed that he'd left games because of panic attacks.

A player of Love's stature (and temperament) admitting to a mental health issue while he's still in the thick of his career?

Whoa.

I went through a wave of panic attacks last year, and they are definitely terrifying. They would be triggered by high stress, or triggered by nothing. The latter were the terrifying attacks.

The title of the article shows a mature take on mental health: "Everyone Is Going Through Something". He goes after the stereotype that men and boys need to suffer silently.

My favorite quote (of many) from the article:

No matter what our circumstances, we're all carrying around things that hurt, and they can hurt us if we keep them buried inside. Not talking about our inner lives robs us of really getting to know ourselves, and robs us of the chance to reach out to others in need.  So, if you're reading this, and you're having a hard time...

"No matter how big or how small it seems to you, I want to remind you that you're not weird or different for sharing what you're going through.

It's a refreshing take on a long-ignored issue that's becoming vogue lately. I hope this contributes to an ongoing conversation that will someday end the stigma of mental health.

H/T: The Players Tribune