DeMar DeRozan is proud of his mental health podcast

"I really wanted to do something that we always do but people don't get to see."

© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

DeMar DeRozan has taken his off-court advocacy to the next level. As an outspoken mental health ambassador, the Chicago Bulls star recently launched his new YouTube interview series called “Dinners With DeMar.” The program aims to serve as a comforting space for athletes to openly share sentiments about their life, fame, career, as well as mental health struggles.

Heart-to-heart discussion 

The “Dinners With DeMar” was six years in the making for Deebo. As he boldly came out of his shell and publicly declared that he was dealing with depression, DeMar aimed to normalize the existence of mental health problems. For him, his initiative aims nothing but to contextualize further that players also have their emotions despite success and popularity.

“I wanted people that I already had a direct relationship with, so you could see the genuineness that comes from our conversations,” he said in an interview with GQ Sports’ Alex Wong. “I didn’t want it to seem like a podcast where you just do a Q&A. I really wanted to do something that we always do but people don’t get to see. These are people where, when we’re in the same city playing against each other, that’s what we’re gonna do regardless: we’re gonna go eat and have conversations about stuff that people don’t get to see or hear.”

A relieving talk with Draymond

In the pilot episode of his series, Deebo invited his good friend Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green as his first special guest. The Warriors star opened up about his mental health problems and the pressure he’s facing amid public scrutiny and notoriety. And for him to witness Dray venting out his personal story, DeMar felt ecstatic about the common ground he created between them.

“It just felt like a weight lifted off your emotions. You felt more seen. You felt more relatable. You sound more patient within that space. too. That was one thing I took from it once I found that person that clicked for me.”

1st episode of “Dinners With DeMar” is out now. Thank you to @Money23Green for being a part of this first episode. Originally filmed in July 2022.

🎥 https://t.co/ztilaRUnO1 pic.twitter.com/ajcnFVwJQ6

— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) February 21, 2024

DeMar DeRozan once again demonstrates why he's the NBA's best closer