Raptors' DeMar DeRozan Opens Up About Struggle With Depression

"We're all human at the end of the day," DeMar DeRozan said.

Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan opened up about his struggles with depression in an interview with The Toronto Star. 

DeRozan referenced depression in a short message posted to Twitter earlier this month. The tweet was more than just a song lyric. 

This depression get the best of me...

— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) February 17, 2018

"It's one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look like we are, we're all human at the end of the day," DeRozan told The Star. "We all got feelings...all of that. Sometimes...it gets the best of you, where times everything in the whole world's on top of you."

DeRozan tweet came after he sunk into depression during All-Star Weekend, according to The Star. The 28-year-old said he has struggled with "various nights"—nights spent depressed—since he was young. 

“This is real stuff,” DeRozan told The Star. “We’re all human at the end of the day. That’s why I look at every person I encounter the same way. I don’t care who you are. You can be the smallest person off the street or you could be the biggest person in the world, I’m going to treat everybody the same, with respect."

DeRozan said he's not ashamed about his depression, and that he hopes his success on the court inspires others who might be struggling. 

Entering Monday, the Raptors are 41–17, good for first in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan is averaging 23.9 points, 5.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.