NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s previous comments about NBA players’ overall happiness made waves last year. To quote Silver, “when I meet with players, what strikes me is that they are truly unhappy.” To think that the greatest players in the NBA, who are paid tens of millions of dollars to play the sport they love, are dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental health hurdles speak to the larger reality that these issues can affect anyone. 

“A lot of these young men are generally unhappy.’’

NBA commissioner Adam Silver at @SloanSportsConf on the unhappiness, anxiety and isolation that a lot of players in the #NBA are experiencing. #sportsbiz pic.twitter.com/zeoOFcUoJ2

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 5, 2019

Just as the emphasis on nutrition, strength & conditioning and private coaching has filtered down from the professional ranks to the youth space, so too has the burgeoning field of mental health performance. Dr. Julia Kim, of Hospital for Special Surgery, joins Sideline Data this week to delve into the world of mental health as it relates to youth athletes. 

Dr. Julia Kim is a Clinical Psychologist at Hospital for Special Surgery. She also served as a Senior Psychologist at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center for seven years. Dr. Kim specializes in anxiety, mood, and psychiatric disorders, as well as health and rehabilitation psychology related to medical and sports-related injury or trauma.

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