Ex-WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw opens up about mental illness

Former WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw opened up about her mental illness.

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Former WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw opened up about her mental illness in a documentary ​about her life entitled Mind/Game.

Holdsclaw, 38, played 11 seasons in the WNBA, earning All-Star honors six times and the 1999 Rookie of the Year distinction. The small forward was also a two-time league rebounding champion and the league’s scoring champion in 2002.

In the documentary, Holdsclaw discusses the process of opening up about the inner workings of her mind.

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“Being able to talk about my sexual orientation with my family helped me realize I can talk about things,” Holdsclaw said. “When I was dealing with the mental health issue I had friends who couldn’t understand it, and I really had to educate people, how certain things made me feel and how I needed support from them.”

Holdsclaw says her depression still presents ongoing struggles.

“A lot of people think I’m cured,” she said. “No. It’s something I still live with. I struggle to get out of bed. But I make a decision to get out of bed. Sometimes I need to call someone to talk. But I’ll eventually get out of bed and get to the gym.”

The documentary airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on Logo.