A month ago we heard rumblings that one of the world’s top bball players – Giannis Antetokuonmpo was going to be donating $1Million dollars to MH programs in Milwaukee➡️ (where he plays).
Unlike other big-time athletes who’ve talked openly abt their MH, there wasn’t an immediate endorsement deal that followed. Giannis didn’t announce a partnership being the face of a MH app…or a Rx drug. He did it bc it was the right thing to do.
The list is a mile long of celebs who, upon their “reveal” – also announced an endorsement that paid them millions of $s. Reveal is in quotes bc most of what we hear from those celebs is nothing more than a label: “I’m ____, I suffer w _____, & _____ helped me heal & can help you too.
I held off on sharing the Yannis donation story bc it was almost too good to be true. Sure in 2020 he’d signed the richest deal in NBA History at $220+ Million over 5 yrs…& so a Million given to charity wasn’t going to break his bank, but I waited bc I wanted to see what came next.
Yesterday I got my answer. This dude’s so humble, that in an interview he not only shared his “stuff” (not even mentioning a label as the focus)….but he paid homage to those who came before him, who paved that way for him to be open.
In celeb world that almost NEVER happens. Why? I’ve been in the MH space arnd these celebs for 5yrs, but been arnd them in sports biz for 20+. Celebs want to be THE savior. They want the $…& they want the credit. “Things are getting better bc of ME, & my openness.”
Is that painting w a broad brush? Maybe. But let’s look at the same guy Yannis paid homage to. Love was open in 2017. Was one of the first. But the real 1st to do it – even tho he was ousted by the NBA for doing so – was Royce White, drafted by the Rockets 4yrs before Love’s reveal. How often do you hear Royce’s name mentioned in this convo? By Love? By other athletes?
I get on the media a LOT bc they don’t show the obvious ties that show the TREND that – everyone’s dealing w something – they’re just not all open abt it. The media treats stories as one-offs. What Yannis did – connected the dots, humbly. That’s MASSIVE for change.