Credit: Associated Press

The confined life is taking its toll on pro ballers.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Clippers played Game 5 of the new NBA season against the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers swept the game fairly handily, closing out with a 154-111 lead, and now have the advantage in the series 3-2. One of the major contributors to this victory was Paul George, who finally broke out of a previous shooting slump to score 35 points for the Clippers. In normal times, he would likely be ecstatic over the victory, but after having spent so long living in a bubble isolated from the outside world, his reaction was a little more subdued.

In a post-game interview with TNT, George opened up about his frustrations, saying that he had been in a “dark place.” “It was just a little bit of everything,” he explained. “I underestimated mental health, honestly. I had anxiety. A little bit of depression. Just being locked in here. I just wasn’t there. I checked out.”

“Games 2, 3, 4, I wasn’t there,” he continued. “I felt like I wasn’t there. Shout-out to the people that were in my corner, that gave me words. They helped big time, help get me right, [get] me back in great spirits. I can’t thank them enough.”

“The bubble got the best of me… Shout out to everyone who stood behind me."

Paul George on his start to the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/eleprREKT9

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 26, 2020

The combination of the bubble and his shooting slump spanning Games 2, 3, and 4 had been wearing hard on George, making it more difficult for him to get out of the basketball mindset and unwind between games. George’s fellow Clippers realized their teammate’s struggles, and several of them came to him in an effort to cheer him up. Clippers coach Doc Rivers had a long, casual talk with George, making sure to keep the topic off of basketball. His teammate, Montrezl Harrell, visited him in his hotel for a carefree session of video games.

“We just wanted to get him out of that,” Harrell said. “Get him out of his room, just play video games, just constantly be around him to show him that we’re here with him. I think that did a great job for him because he went out and played carefree basketball.”

“It meant a lot,” George said about his teammates’ support. “… This is really hard being in here. It’s not easy. All day, it’s just basketball. It’s hard to get away from it. You see guys on other teams. Shout-out to the NBA for creating this environment, but at the same time, it’s rough.”