Former NBA player Nate Robinson recently opened up to Bleacher Report about how he struggled with depression while he was playing in the league, including during his stint with the New York Knicks.
During his rookie season with the Knicks, Robinson says he suffered emotional abuse at the hands of then head coach Larry Brown, who referred to him daily as “the little shit.” Robinson says he eventually stormed into Brown's office crying and asking the coach to stop belittling him.
According to the report, Brown stood in front of the team just 10 minutes later and called Robinson “the little shit” again, and revealed he had cried in his office. When asked about Robinson's claims, Brown said: “I don’t have any recollection. I don’t, I don’t know … I don’t know what I called him, to be honest with you. If I did that, shame on me. I would feel terrible about that. That’s not who I am, but I don’t want to dispute Nate.”
“The NBA gave me my depression,” Robinson told Bleacher Report. “I’ve never been a depressed person in my life.”
In addition to his rocky start in New York, Robinson said his frequent battles with coaches over his 11-year NBA career left him feeling depressed. He says, “The hardest thing in my whole life, was dealing with 11 years in the NBA of trying to be somebody that [NBA coaches] wanted me to be.” Ultimately, Robinson started seeing a therapist during his time with the Chicago Bulls in the 2012-13 season.
The 34-year old veteran played for Guaros de Lara of the Venezuelan professional basketball league in the 2017-18 season, but is hoping to get back in the NBA again. He last played in the league during the 2015-16 season as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.
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