There are plenty of differences between the NBA and WNBA, including their approach to mental health.
Earlier this month, the NBA announced plans to improve the league’s mental health protocol, including requiring all 30 teams to have at least one mental health professional on retainer. But the WNBA hasn’t done much in the realm of mental health, something Las Vegas Aces star Liz Cambage lamented in a recent Players Tribune article.
“I’ve seen a lot of people praise the league for the rule, and for being so forward about mental health in general. And I’m one of those people,” she wrote. “I think it’s a great thing they’re doing, and it’s going to help their players, for sure. They deserve a ton of credit.
“But at the same time, I won’t lie — it’s disappointing to me that we’re praising anyone for ‘progress,’ when so many women are being excluded from it” she added. “I mean… doesn’t the WNBA deserve this same program?”
Cambage is no stranger to the impacts mental health can have on one’s life. The Australia native has battled anxiety and depression through some of the most critical points of her life, even finding herself in the throes of a mental health crisis that left her off the court last week.
But Cambage promises to continue fighting and hopes the league will join the cause.
“I’m still here, and still fighting this battle on a daily basis,” she wrote. “And with the help of my family, and friends, and doctors, and amazing teammates and coaches and support system on the Aces, I’m going to keep fighting it. And I’m going to keep talking about it — in as real a way as I know how.”
