What Happened? Mental Health Questions Mount

The developments around a promising young NBA player who was suddenly released by his team Friday night have promoted a number of questions after he released a statement saying he has “suffered” due to mental health.

Josh Primo, a 19-year-old, second-year guard for the San Antonio Spurs, was abruptly waived from the team days after the newest NBA season began. The NBA lottery pick out of Canada was selected as the 12th player overall in the 2021 NBA Draft following one season of playing at the University of Alabama. His guaranteed entry-level rookie is worth more than $18 million, $8 million which came when he signed his contract, according to sports data website Spotrac.

Primo was the youngest player in the NBA last year and has averaged about 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists over the course of 54 games.

Here’s what we know

The Spurs’ brief, cryptic announcement of the decision prompted plenty of questions.

“It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua,” Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO RC Buford in the four-sentence team press release.

Hours later, Primo broke his silence and attributed the move to his mental health.

“I know that you all are surprised by today’s announcement. I’ve been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully,” Primo said in a statement. “I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time.”

What was his “previous trauma”?

It was not immediately clear what happened to Primo in the past and inflicted the “previous trauma” he cited in his statement. There was every indication that the Spurs were committed to developing him as a player and NBA insiders acknowledged his talent on the court.

“His on-court development absolutely had the organization excited about his NBA future,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted of Primo on Friday night. “Waiving Primo so abruptly without explanation is fairly unprecedented — and jarring.”

Did Primo do something?

Considering we’re fresh off a couple of high-profile NBA scandals that suggested coverups of their respective truths, there was a fair amount of skepticism on social media around Primo’s sudden departure from the team. Surely he must have done something else and been suspended for it, cynics wondered without any proof.

But to be sure, there is “proof” of anything more than what Primo has said; nor is there any reason to suspect the full truth is not being shared with the public. Not to mention, absent of injury, it takes a whole lot for an NBA player to end up missing a game.

For instance, it was only last week when Charlotte Hornets’ second-year player James Bouknight was arrested for DWI. TMZ reported that Bouknight crashed into two police cars and had a gun on his lap before he was arrested. Bouknight hasn’t missed a game since that arrest.

Is Primo still part of the team?

Reports from journalists via their verified Twitter accounts have said the Spurs removed Primo’s jerseys from the team shop. As of Sunday, he remained visible on the team website and was listed as being on the roster.

 

The Spurs and its longtime head coach Gregg Popovich have earned a reputation for being the “gold standard” of NBA franchises, from the front office to the coaching staff and its players and beyond.

Judging from the Spurs’ statement announcing it was waiving Primo, it would seem the team left the door open for Primo’s return.

Mental health and pro sports

Primo is just the latest in a growing number of professional athletes taking steps to prioritize mental health over their careers.

Notably, tennis star Naomi Osaka declined to play at the French Open last year and said at the time she had “suffered long bouts of depression.” Gymnastics legend Simone Biles has been similarly candid about how important mental health is to her and even sacrificed a portion of the Olympics to focus on herself.

On the flip side, former NBA player Delonte West’s struggles with mental health and his resistance to seeking and accepting help have been well documented.

The stigma is fading

The stigma and negative implications of mental health seem to be fading slowly but surely, especially in sports.

Primo’s announcement came a couple of weeks after World Mental Health Day, which encourages awareness and treatment options as people around the globe continue to increase their familiarity with the topic.

Primo’s announcement is especially significant because it is the latest evidence debunking the theory that Black men, in particular, do not lend any credence to mental health concerns. Statistics have long shown that Black people in general have an overall mistrust of physicians of all types, but “progress has been made” along that front in recent years — albeit very slowly — according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit organization devoted to raising awareness on the topic.

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