In this episode, Spencer Haywood welcomes the President of the Stamina Foundation, former NBA player and current NBPA Mental Health Counselor Derek Anderson, and the NBPA's Director of Mental Health & Wellness, Loyola Marymount University Professor Dr. William Parham. They discuss their lives and issues related to mental health both in and outside of the NBA. They also talk about how a player's upbringing, struggles, and sudden celebrity status all affect their mental health and well-being. Dr. Parham then implores the players to begin sharing their life stories with each other to hopefully spark a movement that helps normalize and address this growing problem.

Key Takeaways
- Brief background of Dr. William Parham and Derek Anderson
- Discussion of mental health and wellness in the NBA
- Why it's important for players to share the stories of their struggles
- Happenings during Derek's college days
- Spencer’s anecdotes on sobriety
- How retired NBA players finally got funding for health insurance
- Spencer, Derek, and Dr. Parham make their NBA Finals predictions

Quote Takeaways
Our struggles during childhood are like invisible tattoos. It is painful and it hurts, but once it's there, it's a nice picture and often symbolic of something about you. -Dr. Parham

The past doesn't hold on to you, you hold on to the past, and you don't have to. -Dr. Parham

Your test became your testimonial. -Dr. Parham

We teach them the Spencer Haywood Way, FIGHT UNTIL YOU WIN IT. You set the standards and we follow those standards in this league. - Derek

About The Speaker

Spencer Haywood | https://twitter.com/SpencerHaywood
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer | Olympic Gold Medalist | NBA Champion | 5x NBA All-Star, 4x All-NBA | 1970 ABA MVP & ROY

Derek Anderson | https://twitter.com/dereklanderson
NBPA Mental Health Counselor | Former NBA Player | President at staminafd.com

Dr. William Parham
NBPA Director of Mental Health and Wellness | Professor at Loyola Marymount University School of Education

Time Stamps
[00:00] Show intro
[00:59] Episode and guest intro
[01:58] Brief background of Dr. William Parham
[04:10] Brief background of Derek Anderson growing up in Flint, MI
[05:55] Derek's experience at Ohio State
[07:49] Spencer falls asleep at practice for the 1980 NBA Finals
[08:40] Spencer’s anecdotes on sobriety
[16:50] Derek’s current life
[19:27] DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love have great years after discussing their struggles
[20:20] Impact of mental wellness initiatives in the league
[22:41] Dr. Parham contextualizes the BLM movement with Kelly Oubre, Reggie Jackson, Tyronn Lue, and others speaking out
[24:57] Dr. Parham talks about Jerry West's book "West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life"
[27:01] Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, and others boycott the 1968 Olympics
[28:12] The ABA goes after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
[28:32] The influence of Will Robinson in Detroit
[29:45] John McLendon and Spencer's first contract with the Denver Rockets
[31:17] Jerry Colangelo raids the ABA and signs Connie Hawkins
[34:35] The players threaten to boycott the 1964 All-Star Game
[35:52] Understanding the lessons our struggles can teach us
[39:17] Invisible tattoos
[46:21] How Chris Paul and Stephen Curry helped retired players secure health insurance
[48:21] NBA Finals predictions

Book about Spencer Haywood
The Spencer Haywood Rule: Battles, Basketball, and the Making of an American Iconoclast
Check this out on:
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Spencer-Haywood-Rule-Basketball-Iconoclast/dp/1629377767
Good Reads - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53647047-the-spencer-haywood-rule

This podcast was produced by Heartcast Media.