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In a story from EuroHoops.net former Thunder shooting guard Alex Abrines goes into more details about some of the struggles he was going through leading up to his leaving the Thunder and the NBA last February.
“Athletes are normal people, but are pressured above average. Medication helps, but at the end of the day you must seek professional aid, discuss with friends and family, move forward with their support” adds Abrines on his illness, “It is a different kind of pain. Physical pain is something you can see and feel. Mental pain can not be observed and can not be treated like an injured knee for example. If you don’t go through something similar, you can’t realize it. In the end of the day, money is not above everything. Until it happens, you don’t realize that you don’t give a s--- about money.”
Abrines also told EuroHoops.net how helpful former Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook was during last season and before as Abrines tried to find is way in the NBA.
“He’s a very nice guy. He helped me a lot especially in the first year” he mentioned referring to Westbrook, “In most of our trips we did something together, watch a movie, have dinner. When I went through all this and did not travel with the team, he kept in touch. He asked me to meet him for dinner. He cared for the person beyond the player. He calmly told me what I should do noting that he would support me if I decided to leave.”
Abrines has now signed a deal to return to his old Euro League team Barcelona.