I was born with 80% hearing loss in an extremely religious polygamous commune. I absorbed many concepts about conditional love. When I escaped polygamy at the age of 13, I began to manifest symptoms that I now know were the trademarks of a condition called “scrupulosity” (OCD related to religious thoughts/concepts taught at a young age) — while when I first went on medication, I was diagnosed with general OCD

I channeled a lot of neuroses through basketball, keeping a lot of it hidden, but when I transferred colleges after my sophomore year, I wasn’t able to hide & channel it & I began to break down. Suicidal depression doesn’t come just once, but it often comes in waves & cycles through life

I was unable to function at the college level, or even show up for school. And I didn’t want to be a victim. I wanted to get ahead of my mental challenges, just like I did with my hearing loss- I was going to find a way & play life on my terms

Among many things that have helped me, the one thing I will share that won’t be repetitive, is I began to score more with my left hand, even though I am right handed. This did wonders for my unilateral balance of hemispheres in my brain, helping increase serotonin production

I have been speaking now professionally for a few years, & so much of my life is about breaking through taboos & the limitations that people place on us, & that we believe are true. Religion, mental health, legally deaf- all on the way to becoming the first deaf player in NBA history. My #SameHere Story. Bring it!

There will always be people who are uncomfortable with anything that requires vulnerability & stepping outside of a paradigm. But for the most part, I have found that through my speaking career, people are starving for authenticity & accountability. Accountability is inspiring