Source: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty
Michael Beasley was one of the top players in the 2008 NBA Draft, going second overall with the Miami Heat selecting the Kansas State Wildcats standout. Beasley, who has played for several NBA teams and abroad, recently appeared on a podcast and tearfully shared some of the ups and downs of his mental health woes.
Beasley, 33, was a guest on The Pivot podcast with hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor. Beasley, a native of Prince George’s County, Md. and a former AAU teammate of Kevin Durant, shared the story of his basketball journey with the hosts while sharing some harrowing details of his life. In one especially revealing moment, Beasley told The Pivot team that he’s especially guarded after being taken advantage of by people he thought were close to him.
However, the moment that has everyone talking is when the hosts opened their arms up to Beasley who then began to tear up and lowered the shield around him while allowing himself to cry out in the open. With his voice cracking with emotion, Beasley just says meekly, “I’m tired,” but Clark and Crowder both said they’d do anything they could to help Beasley in his time of need. It was an especially powerful moment.
If anything, Beasley’s emotional expression garnered him more support than he’s ever gotten over the course of his playing career. It should be noted too that for a time, Beasley showed extreme promise as a player and was a double-digit scorer in the league with a dynamic set of skills. Hopefully, his mental health journey will somehow lead him back to the court.
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