Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond missed Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, just one day after he opened up about his struggles with mental health on social media.
Drummond said Tuesday on both Twitter and Instagram that he was deleting all of his social media apps and changing his phone number.
“Time to focus on my mental health,” he wrote. “If you too are struggling with your mental health, you are not alone. It’s OK to ask for help.”
Neither Drummond nor the team elaborated on what he is dealing with specifically. Drummond was officially listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina. It’s unclear when Drummond will return for the Bulls.
Drummond has averaged 6.1 points, which matches his career-low, and a career-low 6.7 rebounds off the bench for the Bulls this season. The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $6.5 million deal with Chicago this past offseason, which marked a move to his sixth team since he joined the league in 2012.
“Your heart goes out for anybody,” coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday, . “There’s a human side and personal side to all these guys, and you feel bad when anybody is going through something like that. You try to give as much support as you can. We have the resources inside the organization to help … Sometimes when people look at these guys, [they] see these NBA stars, and all this stuff that comes with it and they think, ‘Gosh, their lives must be absolutely perfect.’
“And they’re not. We’re all flawed. We all have challenges and issues to deal with … There’s maybe a level of inspiration or hope that he can give somebody.”
The Bulls have six games left in the regular season. They are currently in 10th in the Eastern Conference standings, and two games ahead of the Washington Wizards for the final play-in spot.
