Bulls' Drummond says he needed time to clear his mind

Updated Apr. 2, 2023 7:31 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond said he needed time to clear his mind, so he missed a game last week.

He also expressed appreciation for the support the team gave him as he addressed some things that had been weighing on him.

“I had to take some time away to really clear my mind and address some things that I’d been neglecting for awhile," he said after the Bulls rallied to beat Memphis 128-107 on Sunday. “I feel OK. Obviously, I still have a lot of work to do with my mental. But we have a job to do. And that’s to win basketball games and get to the playoffs.”

Drummond missed the Bulls' 121-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night after he posted on Twitter that he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health. He has since played in each of Chicago's two games.

The 29-year-old Drummond is in his first year with Chicago and his 11th season in the NBA overall. The two-time All-Star posted on Tuesday that he was changing his number.

“We're looked at as superheroes, like nothing really bothers us and we don't have a life outside of the game," Drummond said Sunday. "That's what people fail to understand, that we do have personal lives outside of the game of basketball. And it becomes taxing at times. That superhero cape we have on has to come off at some point. It’s OK to ask for help. It’s OK to feel. It’s OK to be emotional.”

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