A pro-athlete’s life is full of challenges with millions of eyes judging every move by the player, both on and off the field. While their games might sometimes get a grace from fans, their actions and decisions are heavily criticized by fans and analysts. Recently, DeWanna Bonner made a heartbreaking confession about cyberbullying and finding hope with the Phoenix Mercury. Now, another forward, Damiris Dantas, speaks about mental health issues.
While both players showed different reasons for the ‘disturbed mental health’, the idea behind and effects on the player are the same. The Fever forward also mentioned how her close ones helped her to recover from the issue.
Damiris Dantas Talks About Mental Health Struggles
Entering her 13th season in the WNBA, the forward had been under a lot of pressure to deliver and perform. But the star opened up on the emotional side of an athlete’s life as she shared a post on Instagram highlighting her struggles in past years and how she overcame the obstacles to succeed.
“Not always the athlete is well. It’s not always strength, focus and overcoming. We also feel afraid, tired, lonely. I had to stop. I needed to breathe, understand myself, take care of myself. It was one of the most difficult periods of my life — not because of the lack of courts, but because of the need to look at me more lovingly and less charged,” Dantas wrote.
She even added, “And all of that made me grow a lot. I understood that there is no performance without balance. You can’t be strong all the time, and that’s okay. Asking for help is not weakness, it is courage.”
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In the long and emotional post written in her native language, the Fever player thanked God, her family and fans for helping her “overcome, for still standing, for having found the pleasure of doing what I love again.”
After an impactful regular season, the 32-year-old missed the postseason action due to injuries. And now, she will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025 season, and it will be interesting to watch her next move in the league. Right now, she will have to deal with her international duty. She is in the second season of her two-year deal with the team, averaging 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game.
Damiris Dantas Gets An International Call
Even though the forward had limited game time at the Fever in the 2025 season, she remained the top player fr her national side, who will be preparing for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers next. Dantas once again gets a call-up for training camp at São Paulo.
The Chicago Sky forward Kamilla Cardoso also joins the Brazil National Team as they prepare for the World Cup qualifying tournament in Wuhan, China, in March next year. Brazil will compete against Mali, South Sudan, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and China.