After facing challenging times and uncertainty late in his career, Dion Waiters is looking for another opportunity to be back in the NBA.
Waiters, who was recently reported vying for a league comeback after holding private workouts in Las Vegas, admitted to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report that he experienced battling mental stress, anxiety, and depression.
“I just wasn’t having fun,” he said. “I had thoughts of not being around, but I’ve got kids. I’d rather be miserable for the rest of my life than to leave my kids without a father. I didn’t want to be around anyone, and everybody was still asking for s–t. I’m a one-man army as far as finances go. I’m the backbone. S–t was dark. Some days, I’d sleep in the bed all day. I had nothing to look forward to. I wasn’t working out. It’s a mental battle.
“I never understood what depression was until the last few years. I realized I’ve been enduring this pain since I was a kid. My dad even fought depression. He had a bad attitude coming up. He would tell me how he tried to hurt himself, but that was something I couldn’t understand until I saw a therapist. I felt all alone.”
He added: “I learned that it takes time to deal with the dark days. But you know what? We’re here. There are sunshiny days ahead. One thing about me is I never lost my confidence. Losing the game all happened so fast. I didn’t have a chance to prepare for it. We’re all humans. We go through s–t. I want someone to know that you’re not alone. Don’t ever feel like this is the end. If you need somebody to talk to, I’m here. We just got to stay strong and we can figure this out together.”
Waiters, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 Draft, had a roller coaster ride in his career.
He was picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers during draft night. After 2 ½ seasons, the club cut their ties with him.
After playing his full 2015-16 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Waiters landed in the Miami Heat. For nearly four years, he believed that he failed to capitalize on the opportunity that the club had handed to him.
In his final season with the Heat back in 2019-20, Waiters was slapped with multiple suspensions upon complaining about his role. One prominent act was he was suspended for 10 games after consuming THC-infused edibles that prompted a panic attack on the team plane.
“Yes, that last year with the Miami Heat and just understanding what was going on in that situation. I was so irresponsible and immature. I let the Heat down. They were good to me. I did not handle it well at all.”
Now, after a three-year break from being out of the competitive game, Waiters seeks another chance to prove that he belongs again in the association.
He knows that he had to humble himself out of past occurrences. As such, he is now ready to accept any means necessary to play once again.
“I apologize to the people I rubbed the wrong way,” he said. “If I humiliated anybody, including my family, I want to issue a public apology. There were so many people that looked up to me. My city, every organization I’ve been a part of, and the kids. I probably let a couple of people down by me not playing, because a lot of kids look up to me coming from where I came from. I got tired of being asked if I’m retired. The answer is no because I can still play, and there’s a bigger purpose now. So, I apologize for everything that I’ve done, good or bad. But as a human being, I feel like I had to go through that stuff to learn who I really am.”
