Ryan Broekhoff opens up on mental health and anxiety, plus profiles of top 20 NBL players
Phoenix swingman Ryan Broekhoff wants to share his mental health story to help others. He looks back at the dark stretch which saw him bin the Boomers Olympic squad.
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Ryan Broekhoff knew he had to act when he wasn’t being truthful.
On the surface, Broekhoff looked his happy self, regularly smiling and fronting up with a seemingly positive outlook on life.
Behind the brave face, though, he was struggling with mental health and anxiety issues that date back to his youth.
Broekhoff had hit a wall and fallen out of love with basketball following a tumultuous 18-month period, including being waived from the NBA following two and a half years in the world’s best league.
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He also experienced a challenging maiden NBL season with South East Melbourne due to injury and form, which was heightened by the stress of living out of a suitcase while renting because he couldn’t find a house for his family to buy.
The array of issues sparked Broekhoff’s anxiety, prompting him to pull out of the Boomers Tokyo Olympic squad citing mental health issues.
“I felt for a long time like I had this wall in front of me,” Broekhoff said in the lead-up to the Phoenix’s home opener against the New Zealand Breakers on Saturday night.
“When I was speaking to family or media, I just gave the same old answer saying everything was good.
“But it wasn’t the truth and it felt like I wasn’t being truthful with myself and everyone around me with how I was and how I was feeling.”
The last thing Broekhoff wanted was to pull out of the Boomers Olympic squad.
He also possessed a passionate aspiration to end Australia’s medal drought, but he didn’t want to let the team down if he wasn’t mentally ready.
It was a “tough” decision to make, but one Broekhoff doesn’t regret.
“I didn’t want to go in with the Boomers half-hearted and it came to a point where I felt comfortable to be a little bit vulnerable and more honest than what I had been,” he conceded.
“I had to make a stand and reach out and get some professional help to bridge that gap between where I think I should be and where I was.
“I had to seek someone else out of my immediate family to really open up and talk about things from the past and present to figure out why I was in this funk and not really in the moment in every aspect of life.”
Broekhoff couldn’t travel during the off-season due to Covid protocols, but he wasn’t too worried as he just needed to a reset mentally.
He spent more time with family and made the effort to have the difficult yet important discussion with his specialist as his stress and anxiety levels had reached breaking point.
“I just needed to take a step back from basketball in general to get my personal life more stable,” he said.
“Things like finding a house to make sure that my wife and son were being taken care of and had their stability as well so we’re not living out of suitcases and trying to find a house.
“I’ve had a move a few times in the last few years and had to drag my kid here there and everywhere and I could start to see the impact it was having on him.
“That was hard to see, so it was a culmination of things, including my history and I had to do what was right and get some help to figure it all out.”
Thanks to the support of his specialist and family, Broekhoff feels like a different man.
He has found himself, and in turn his passion and enthusiasm for basketball.
“It is like a new lease on life,” he said.
“I’m really enjoying being around my teammates and playing again, whereas last season l wasn’t happy with how I was playing and contributing to the team.
“Basketball comes pretty easy once everything else is in line, so it has been nice to ramp it back up and find the joy and the happiness that comes along with playing.
“Hopefully taking the step back will allow me to have a few more good years now and enjoy basketball while I’m still playing and not just use it as a job or an end to a means.
“I needed to get that joy back in life and basketball.”
Broekhoff is focused on the NBL and performing for the Phoenix, but he still aims to return to the NBA where he played 59 games for Dallas between 2018 and 2020.
“The NBA is still in the back of my mind,” he said.
“There have been some talks during the off-season, so it is still a realistic possibility, but I’m not looking too far ahead and I’m very happy with the Phoenix and I want to do everything to make the team successful.”
Broekhoff is also motivated to share his mental health story in a bid to help others suffering in silence.
“The best thing for me to see is to let people know that it is okay not to be okay and do what is best for yourself and get some help,” he said.
“If I can encourage someone else to put their hand up and find help that would mean a lot to me.”
Move over Delly: Guards who can trump United’s main man
NBL22 promises to be another season packed with entertainment as some of the sport’s biggest names and rising stars look to make their mark in Australia.
News Corp journalist Matt Logue previews the season by revealing his 20 must-watch players and the likely MVP contenders.
Scroll down to check out Matt’s full rankings and then have your say on who the MVP will be.
20 Will Magnay
Tasmania JackJumpers
HEIGHT: 208cm
WEIGHT: 104kg
AGE: 23
POSITION: centre
The NBL’s 2020 Most Improved Player is injury-free and ready to dominate the league with the Tasmania JackJumpers this season.
Magnay, who played one NBA game with New Orleans in 2020-21, played 15 games with Perth last season following a G League stint with the Erie BayHawks.
The 23-year-old centre was in the mix to represent the Boomers at this year’s Tokyo Olympics, but didn’t make the final cut.
19 Finn Delany
New Zealand Breakers
HEIGHT: 198cm
WEIGHT: 102kg
AGE: 26
POSITION: forward
The Breakers forward is one of the league’s most consistent performers.
Delany made the All-NBL second team last season while he has also been a consistent member of the New Zealand national team.
The 26-year-old will be a key for the Breakers to make the top four this season.
18 Hugo Besson
New Zealand Breakers
HEIGHT: 191cm
WEIGHT: 89kg
AGE: 20
POSITION: guard
French shooting guard Hugo Besson has New Zealand officials raving about his form.
Besson, who is the Breakers’ second import after the club signed former NBA point guard Peyton Siva last month, has impressed with his scoring ability thus far in the Blitz. He dominated the highlight reels with his halfcourt three-point buzzer beater in New Zealand’s opening game against United.
ESPN currently has Besson as the 34th pick for the 2022 NBA draft following a stellar season in the French second division.
17 Jaylen Adams
Sydney Kings
HEIGHT: 183cm
WEIGHT: 102kg
AGE: 25
POSITION: guard
Adams endured a disrupted off-season with a knee injury, but big things are expected of the gifted guard so he has made our list.
He most recently played with the NBA championship winning Milwaukee Bucks on a two-way contract, alongside new Kings coach Chase Buford.
Known for his prolific scoring and playmaking ability, Adams is a marksman from three-point range, averaging 40 per cent from behind the arc in the 2019-20 season.
16 Scott Machado
Cairns Taipans
HEIGHT: 185cm
WEIGHT: 82kg
AGE: 31
POSITION: guard
After starring in his maiden season in 2019/2020 to narrowly miss out on being named league MVP, Machado regressed last season.
His form mirrored the Taipan’s slide down the ladder, so he will be determined to rediscover his finest.
Machado is one of the league’s best players, but he needs to fulfil his potential.
15 Lamar Patterson
Brisbane Bullets
HEIGHT: 196cm
WEIGHT: 102kg
AGE: 30
POSITION: forward
Patterson would normally be higher in the rankings, but he has a lot of ground to make up following a disappointing 2020-2021 campaign.
It started with an underwhelming stint at the New Zealand Breakers, struggling early and appearing out of shape.
He averaged 10.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in six games — down from a career 18.7 points per game — and shot just 37 per cent from the floor – before rejoining the Bullets
14 Ryan Broekhoff
South East Melbourne Phoenix
HEIGHT: 198cm
WEIGHT: 95kg
AGE: 31
POSITION: forward
I’m expecting Broekhoff to significantly climb the standings this season following a quiet season by his lofty standards last year.
The former NBA and European star has the ability to be in the league’s top six players at his best.
Watch for Broekhoff to rediscover his best form with the South East Melbourne Phoenix this season.
13 Jarell Martin
Sydney Kings
HEIGHT: 208cm
WEIGHT: 108kg
AGE: 27
POSITION: forward
Martin has looked solid in the Blitz so far as he looks to return to the NBA with a standout season as Sydney’s big man leader.
Injury aside, he enjoyed an impressive maiden season with the Kings last year.
The former Orlando and Memphis power forward averaged 17.9 points, including 50 per cent from the field, while he averaged seven rebounds.
If Martin can stay fit, he’ll have an even bigger impact this season.
12 Isaac Humphries
Adelaide 36ers
HEIGHT: 213cm
WEIGHT: 115kg
AGE: 23
POSITION: centre
The NBL’s 2018 Rookie of the Year has a high ceiling, especially if he can remain injury free.
Humphries has NBA experience under his belt following a stint with the Atlanta Hawks in 2019.
A foot injury cruelled his 2020-21 campaign with Adelaide when he was in the MVP conversation.
11 Duop Reath
Illawarra Hawks
HEIGHT: 211cm
WEIGHT: 111kg
AGE: 25
POSITION: centre
The Boomers big man has the ability to revolutionise the NBL this season with his size, physicality, and shooting.
Reath has made his name playing in Europe, winning championships in Yugoslavia and Serbia.
The South Sudanese-born centre will perfectly complement Illawarra’s sharpshooters Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup.
10 Zhou Qi
South East Melbourne Phoenix
HEIGHT: 216cm
WEIGHT: 113kg
AGE: 25
POSITION: centre
The Chinese superstar is a game-changer for the NBL given his respected global reputation.
Legendary coach Brian Goorjian, who has spent years coaching in China, believes Qi’s signing will have the same impact on the domestic game as Australian legends Andrew Gaze and Andrew Bogut.
It’s a big statement to make, but it’s justified when you consider his ability that matches his monster seven-foot frame.
9 Vic Law
Perth Wildcats
HEIGHT: 201cm
WEIGHT: 91kg
AGE: 25
POSITION: forward
Law as the ability to form one of the NBL’s best partnerships with Perth superstar Bryce Cotton.
After representing the Brisbane Bullets in the 2021 NBL season, the 25-year-old impressed for the Los Angeles Lakers at the recent NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Law averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Lakers NBA Summer League team.
8 Matthew Dellavedova
Melbourne United
HEIGHT: 191cm
WEIGHT: 91kg
AGE: 31
POSITION: guard
The NBA champion and Boomers veteran will no doubt climb the rankings as his maiden NBL season with Melbourne United unfolds.
Dellavedova is a proven world-class performer who will bring significant class and experience to the Australian domestic league.
Delly’s impact off the floor as a Boomers star will be equally influential.
7 Daniel Johnson
Adelaide 36ers
HEIGHT: 212cm
WEIGHT: 108kg
AGE: 33
POSITION: centre
Reliable, consistent and a significant presence in the paint, Johnson is the type of player ever team needs to succeed.
He has made the All-NBL First Team and the All-NBL Second Team on three occasions each.
Johnson hasn’t won a championship and he doesn’t attract the big headlines, but his influence for Adelaide is profound.
6 Mitch McCarron
Adelaide 36ers
HEIGHT: 189cm
WEIGHT: 94kg
AGE: 29
POSITION: guard
One of the NBL’s most underrated players, McCarron is a vital cog in whatever teams he plays for.
After winning a championship with Melbourne United last season mostly coming off the bench, he is ready to star at Adelaide as the team’s starting guard.
The 36ers will look to McCarron to guide the franchise back to the finals.
5 Mitch Creek
South East Melbourne Phoenix
HEIGHT: 196cm
WEIGHT: 98kg
AGE: 29
POSITION: forward
When Creek is fit, he is one of the NBL’s premier players.
A standout athlete who can control a game with his fitness, toughness and shooting finesse.
The NBL Fans MVP in 2018 is an NBA level talent at his finest, as he proved in 2019 when he had stints with Brooklyn and Minnesota.
4 Nathan Sobey
Brisbane Bullets
HEIGHT: 190cm
WEIGHT: 84kg
AGE: 31
POSITION: guard
Sobey is yet to win a championship, but he has been a dominant force in the NBL for seasons now.
He is almost unstoppable when he drives to the rim while his energy is infectious.
Sobey has made the All-NBL Second Team twice while he added the All-NBL First Team to his resume last season following a dominant year with Brisbane.
3 Tyler Harvey
Illawarra Hawks
HEIGHT: 193cm
WEIGHT: 84kg
AGE: 28
POSITION: guard
Harvey has only been in the league for a season, but he has already proven that he belongs among the game’s elite.
The American native averaged 20.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists while shooting 38 per cent from beyond the three-point line.
He capped the year off by being named in the All-NBL First Team.
2 Chris Goulding
Melbourne United
HEIGHT: 192cm
WEIGHT: 93kg
AGE: 33
POSITION: guard
The NBL’s Splash Brother, Goulding is one of the sweetest shooters in league history.
Three championships, a grand final MVP and the NBL’s scoring champion in 2014.
Goulding is a proven winner who attracts fans to the game with his potent shooting.
1 Bryce Cotton
Perth Wildcats
HEIGHT: 183cm
WEIGHT: 76kg
AGE: 29
POSITION: guard
Cotton is the undisputed modern-day master.
Three NBL championships, two grand final MVPs and three league MVPs, Cotton remains the benchmark import and player.
While ever Cotton is playing in the NBL, Perth remain a championship contender. That says it all.
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