Episode 2 of The Mental Game features seventh-year basketball pro Reggie Hearn. Out of high school, Hearn received no Division I scholarship offers, so he joined the Northwestern University basketball team as a walk-on. Four years later, he left Evanston as the team’s leading scorer. Then in 2018, after four G-League seasons, Hearn broke through and made it to the NBA with the Detroit Pistons. He’s since been grinding it out in the G-League, hoping for another shot while also competing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
Hearn is strikingly transparent about his mental health struggles. Once a Psychology major at Northwestern, he also advocates for more mental health awareness and advocacy in sports and the world at-large.
In this episode, Hearn first reflects on his last few months amid COVID-19 (3:28). He then discusses how anxiety has affected his basketball career and his life (5:02).
Hearn explains his how mindset changed after making it to the NBA in 2018 (19:40). He then expounds on memories of his time competing with Team USA, where he met LeBron James, Anthony Davis and others (23:50). Finally, Hearn shares parting thoughts on his journey with mental health and what others can glean from it (28:06).
The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and Stitcher.
