Julie Kliegman is an editor at Sports Illustrated and in an SI column, on a Canadian radio show and research for a forthcoming book, “Mind Game” about how elite athletes navigate mental health, she’s been addressing Ben Simmons situation. She suggests that Simmons should not be excoriated for asserting he’s had issues, but celebrated for returning from them ... and finds it odd how Simmons has been treated compared to other high-profile athletes.
Specifically, Kliegman compares the case of the Nets newest star with those of Naomi Osaka in tennis and Simone Biles in gymnastics, both of whom stepped away from competition last year, and even DeMar DeRozan in the NBA who chronicled his battles with depression back in 2018.