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Robinson’s brother, Eli, died of suicide on April 30, 2025. He was 31 years old. Eli dealt with substance abuse and schizophrenia during his life. His sister, Marta Robinson Day — a licensed mental health counselor — explained that Eli experienced “multiple episodes that were in line with somebody that has schizophrenia” in a television spot for ESPN that aired on May 1. He left an indelible mark on his brother, one that remains one year on. "Eli was my inspiration," Robinson said at his brother's memorial service on May 13, 2025. "He was who I wanted to be and he was how I wanted to be. Eli, in all the ways you inspire me, with your sobriety and how you wrestled with the boldness that most of us can't even comprehend."
Robinson’s family also launched a foundation in his honor. The Robinson Family Foundation supports families experiencing similar challenges. It also attempts to raise awareness for mental health and the potential link between marijuana use and psychosis. Robinson Day said the family believes early marijuana use played a role in Eli’s struggles. "He (Eli) was having delusions, he was hearing voices," Robinson Day said. "There were multiple episodes that were in line with the symptoms of somebody that has schizophrenia. ... What they're finding in research is that if you use marijuana in a developing brain, which is considered up to the age of 25, you're at a higher risk of developing psychosis later on."
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson opened up about his mental health after he and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels were both ejected for fighting in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night. “Knew something was gone happen,” Robinson wrote in a Facebook post after the Knicks’ 140-89 series-clinching win — and the largest win in a playoff game in franchise history. “My mental just not the same I’m just lost in the world at the moment.” Robinson also reshared his pregame post that said, “Trying so hard to be calm.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “One of the things I do is talk to a sports psych. Before I came here to meet with you guys, I had a meeting with him to kind of organize my mind. Because I haven’t played in a lot of weeks, you kind of forget things. You have to create that memory recall and put yourself in a position to remember exactly what your strengths are, and also put your body through it. The last couple of years, I’ve always tried to be efficient. I don’t go out of my spots. You’re always going to find me in my spots. I developed that by realizing what I’m good at and what I’m not good at, and being okay with it. I feel like a lot of NBA players, a lot of athletes, when they have weaknesses, they’re so stubborn and they focus so much on the weakness. ‘I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do this.’ But sometimes you have to be okay with it. Okay, this is my weakness, but I’m really good at this, so how can I keep growing in this area of my game?”
Dwyane Bacon: You go through your whole life preparing to get to the highest level, but that's the place with the most bullsh*t. So I just fell into depression, bro. I didn't want to do nothing. I didn't want to leave. I was sad all the time. I was angry, bro. I cried. Cuz I love this sh*t that much to like It's no way you telling me I shouldn't be out on that flow. Like even with all the sh*t bro. I'm in practice. I'm doing my thing. It's I ain't going to say I'm just dogging everybody, but I can play in a league. And at that time I'm still young. So, it's just like I ain't know no better. And then, you know, as time went, like you started, you know, of course I'm talking to people, but then again, I'm still trying to figure it out on my own. I just hit a spurt to where it's like, ain't nobody going to f*cking cry with you. Ain't nobody going to hold your hand. Keep working, keep put your head down, keep attacking every day.
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PHLY Sixers: Paul George describes what led to his 25-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy. "I've said it throughout my career dealing with mental health: I'm no superhero. I'm a human. And I made a mistake at that moment."
Paul George describes what led to his 25-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy.
— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) March 24, 2026
"I've said it throughout my career dealing with mental health: I'm no superhero. I'm a human. And I made a mistake at that moment." pic.twitter.com/76NyW3UniA
"The most difficult thing is when your body isn't where you know it needs to be or where it once was," George said. "That leads and bleeds into the mental side of things, knowing that you're limited. But for me, I feel good, my body is feeling great. Mentally, I know I'm capable of doing what I can do and what I've been able to on the court for years."
Draymond Green: “What stopped my scroll this week was seeing someone say Joel Embiid has now officially missed more games than he’s played. It stopped my scroll because I get tired of people talking and just throwing these things out there. What about his health? And let’s take a step aside from his actual physical health — what about his mental health? He knows how much guys put into this game to be great. You’re talking about a guy who worked from shooting a backwards layup out of bounds 12 or 15 years ago to being the MVP of the NBA. What about him mentally? So, I see people just throw these things around and talk, and it irks me. I saw that, and it stopped my scroll because it made me feel for Joel. I feel for him. Nobody knows what he’s going through and what he has to deal with. And everybody says, ‘Oh man, he got the money. He good.’ No, he’s not. He wants to play basketball. He loves playing basketball.”
You haven’t heard much this NBA season about Strus, 29, because he hasn’t played. He is still fighting his way back from offseason surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot, and after months of waiting he is nearing a return that could happen within the next week. In the middle of last season — his second with the Cavs — Strus, along with his sister Maggie Sommer and best friend Jake Wimmer, formally launched the Max Strus Family Foundation. The foundation operates with a volunteer board, raises most of its money through camp registrations and a bowling fundraiser in Cleveland, and directs grants to youth sports programs, cancer organizations and mental health nonprofits in the cities Strus has lived in. The foundation is small — it distributed about $160,000 in 2025 — by design. Strus wants to know the people he’s able to help.
“I don’t want to be somebody or our foundation as a whole doesn’t want to be a group that’s just like handing out money and you don’t hear from us again,” Strus said. “We want to be in it for the long run. Like we want to create relationships. We want to be impactful on people’s lives and be there as support.” When Strus was just making his way in the NBA with the Miami Heat, his coach Erik Spoelstra’s son went through a serious health scare. Spoelstra remembers Strus knocking on his office door. “When my son was sick, he stopped by my office,” Spoelstra said. “A lot of people just feel awkward. They don’t know what to say. He just wanted to offer support. And also said, ‘Hey, if you’re doing anything, I want to be part of it.’”
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Spoelstra said the gesture didn’t surprise him. “You can see that Max just naturally thinks about other people,” he said. “So the fact that he’s doing this kind of work is not at all surprising.”
NBA on ESPN: "We don't need any player suffering from mental health ... but this sounds fishy." Charles Barkley and the Inside the NBA panel break down Paul George’s 25-game suspension and what it means for the Sixers moving forward.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has been suspended without pay for 25 games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, the league announced Saturday. "Over the past few years, I've discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication," George said in a statement to ESPN's Shams Charania. "I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision making during this process. "I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return."
Former NBA player Kyle Singler made some wild claims in a concerning video on social media Saturday. In the explicative-laden rant posted to Instagram, Singler — who looks visually distraught and disheveled — alleges that people are taking his money, along with claiming that his child is being abused. “I don’t feel safe,” Singler said. “I’ve got people in my life taking my money — this is a message to everybody in my life who has been messing with me. My child is being sexually, physically, emotionally, spiritually abused. Shame on everybody that knows me that’s not helping, not intervening. F–k y’all. Duke, Medford (Oregon), everybody.”