Stress Almost Made Giannis Antetokounmpo Leave The NBA In 2020; 'Mental Health - It's Big For Me'

It's hard to imagine that NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo almost left the NBA, but it was nearly a reality in 2020.

The Milwaukee Bucks star recently revealed that struggles with his mental health had him considering retiring from the game he loves so much. And now, he wants to make sure others who struggle are able to get the help they need through his foundation.

It's hard to think that the Bucks could be without their star player. Despite Antetokounmpo signing a five-year contract for $228 million, he was ready to say goodbye to the NBA. He ended up staying and winning the NBA title the following season and also got his first Finals MVP trophy. All of this nearly didn't happen because of mental health struggles.

The NBA star recently opened up about his experience, revealing that he almost retired in 2020, to Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Pressure and stress caught up to the 25-year-old star player. "Mental health - it's big for me," he said. "Everybody, no matter where I am, everybody is watching me. I don't think I have the time to turn it off. Be myself. Kind of just...be me."

He then explained a situation that happened while he was visiting Orlando. "I was walking through the hotel and there was three little kids. We were in this hotel that was five minutes away from Disney World. This lady was probably with her grandkids. She was like 55, 60 - she was my mom's age. And the kids were younger, like 5, 6, 7," he explained.

"And she said, 'Hey guys, you know who this is?' No, they had no idea; they was excited to go to Disney World. She turned and was like, 'That's the best player in the world.'"

He continued to explain that while that's good to hear, it's "a lot of pressure."

"Going through that, in order for you to be the best, you have to play like the best. You have to practice like the best. You got to carry yourself like the best. Which is not easy," he said. "As much as people say I'm handling it well, because that's my personality, it's hard. It's not easy."

That's when he dropped a bomb that possibly no one expected. "In 2020, I was...ready to walk away from the game," he said. "I had that conversation, yes, with the front office."

He said everyone looked at him like he was crazy. "'You just signed the largest contract in NBA history and you want to walk away from the game and all that money?,'" he said. "But, I don't care about that. I care about joy. I'm a joyful person. My father didn't have nothing; he had us. He was the richest person on earth because he had his kids. He had the beautiful family; he had nothing. This, to me, doesn't mean nothing."

The stress and pressure had been building for a while for him. His father died unexpectedly, he was working hard in the NBA, the Greece national team, endorsement obligations, plus he's a family man with his longtime girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger and their two young boys, Liam, 3, and Maverick, 1.

The Bucks star didn't think he needed help for a long time. Growing up in poverty and living in fight or flight mode for so long, it was hard for him to acknowledge his emotions.

"In 2017, 2018, DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love came out public with what they were dealing with," he said, referring to their depression and anxiety. "I was like, 'I don't understand what this is.' I don't. I just, I was young. It's just basketball; just play. But then, you understand. Being the MVP, trying to win a championship, trying to help your teammates be great, and then you understand all this."

He explained that he gave therapy a chance, and it helped to get him to a better place. "Somebody helped put me in a place, again, to appreciate all of the things that I have, that comes with being who I am. To be okay with myself. To, no matter what the outcome is of the game, understand that I can't control that. I can only control my effort. How hard I work. How I make people feel around me. How I try to, hopefully, inspire people from what I do," he explained.

"I kept talking with this (counselor). He helped me a lot - not just being a better basketball player, being able to deal with it; but being a better partner, better father, better brother, better son. Better person."

The family decided to start a foundation in honor of Charles Antetokounmpo to help others in different areas, mental health being one area.

"I feel like a lot of people deal with it, but they're not willing to talk about it," Antetokounmpo said. "They're not willing to improve, because this stigma is behind it. 'You talk about it, then you're soft, you're weak' this is a sport, you've got to be tough. You've got to fight through everything."

He also revealed that he spoke to fellow basketball player, Love, and told him how he inspired him to open up and better himself. And now he wants to help as many people as he possibly can in the same ways.

The mission of the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation is, "To help refugees and immigrants, with support to improve living conditions and open pathways for self-sufficiency; to help the youth, closing persistent opportunity gaps facing youth around the world; to enhance the world of sport, empowering players to expand possibilities for themselves and their communities; and to assist with living necessities, like food and shelter, meeting basic needs that make these achievements possible."

Through the foundation, Antidote Health is assisting families and individuals with mental health who don't have private insurance but don't qualify for government programs and assistance with therapy. Milwaukee residents can find the free mental health program from the Leave No One Behind campaign on the website.