SALT LAKE CITY — Athletes, especially NBA players, are very socially
connected. Even if they are natural introverts, there are always people
around whether it be family, friends, teammates, coaches, training staff,
doctors, entourages or fans.
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, players have been isolated in a way
they never have been before and that isolation, paired with the abrupt
and prolonged disruption to the season, will present a whole new batch
of mental and emotional issues in addition to the physical struggles they
might be experiencing.
“It’s really similar to having a season-ending injury and for
some a career-ending injury,” said Dr. Nicole Detling, owner of
HeadStrong Consulting, and the mental performance coach with Real Salt
Lake and the Utah Royals. “The problem is that it’s the whole
league, and each individual will go through similar emotions as they would
if they had a season-ending injury. They were fine and they were good
one day, and the next day they weren’t.”
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