Cavaliers player Kevin Love's essay on mental health shows strength, garners praise

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love has opened up about his panic attack this season and his struggles with mental health in an essay for the Player's Tribune.

Love is used to scoring big on the basketball court, but Monday his words outshined everything else.

In his essay, "Everyone Is Going Through Something," the NBA standout opened up about his panic attack November 5th, during a game against the Atlanta Hawks.

He wrote, "It was like my body was trying to say to me, 'You're about to die.'"

Love was rushed to the Cleveland Clinic where doctors found nothing physically wrong with him. And so he started seeing a therapist, who helped him realize, "This is an everyone thing. No matter what our circumstances, we're all carrying around things that hurt, and they can hurt us if we keep them buried inside."

Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr applauded Love's courage. "Doesn't matter if you are an NBA player or the average guy, we're humans so I appreciate him coming out. I thought it was great," he said.

His teammate LeBron James tweeted out his support too:

There just isn't a lot of data on athletes and mental illness in the U.S. but in Norway, a study found 4 in 10 male professional soccer players suffered from anxiety or depression.

"I think by Kevin speaking it will hopefully inspire other players that are suffering the same kinds of issues," said Associate Professor and Center for Sport and Social Justice Director Matthew Atencio.