Nate Robinson hasn't been on the court since the 2015-16 season, but as he eyes an NBA comeback, he opened up about some of the mental health struggles he has faced.
In a wide-ranging interview with Bleacher Report, Robinson said the pressure he dealt with while playing in the NBA led to depressed feelings.
"The NBA gave me depression," Robinson said. "I've never been a depressed person in my life."
He went on to explain some of the challenges he faced with the coaching staffs, who wanted him to take the game more seriously and pushed him to be somebody he wasn't.
Robinson also described some of the conflicts he had while playing with the Knicks under Larry Brown, alleging Brown called him "the little sh—" in front of the entire team.
"I was trying to change," Robinson told Bleacher Report. "Nobody would ever know the real struggles that I had to fight to try to be somebody that I wasn't. … That was the hardest thing in my career. Not basketball, not working out. Not my children.
"But the hardest thing in my whole life, of my 34 years in existence on earth, was dealing with 11 years in the NBA of trying to be somebody that [NBA coaches] want me to be."
Robinson, now 34, bounced around to different teams trying to "shift his habits" after talking it out in therapy. Since he left the league in 2016, he has had stints in G League, Israel and Venezuela.
He hasn't ruled out an NBA return as he said, "I just need a chance." He plans to play in the BIG3 and Drew League this summer with hopes of securing an NBA training camp invite.
