There are many things of which DeMar DeRozan is proud: his children, his family, his place among NBA contemporaries, his basketball prowess and work ethic.

His role in increasing awareness of mental health issues, and advocating for others to speak up if they feel comfortable doing it, would now vault near the top of that list.

After an outpouring of support followed a recent revelation that he battles the demons of depression at times, and after a fellow NBA all-star continued the crusade this week, DeRozan has come to realize the power and importance of his words.

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“Man, the last week has been probably one of the most incredible things that, me personally, I've witnessed, period,” the Toronto Raptors star said Tuesday night. “The response and everything I've got back from it was so positive … and it made me feel, you know, pretty damn good, honestly. So it's cool to be able to help somebody.”

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Cleveland Cavalier forward Kevin Love, in an intensely personal essay written for The Players’ Tribune website and published Tuesday morning, detailed his own battle against anxiety and how he got through an in-game panic attack.

“Growing up, you figure out really quickly how a boy is supposed to act,” Love wrote. “You learn what it takes to ‘be a man.’ It’s like a playbook: Be strong. Don’t talk about your feelings. Get through it on your own. So for 29 years of my life, I followed that playbook.”

He credited DeRozan with planting the seed that going public would benefit not only Love but others.

“One of the reasons I wanted to write this comes from reading DeMar’s comments last week about depression,” Love wrote. “I’ve played against DeMar for years, but I never could’ve guessed that he was struggling with anything. It really makes you think about how we are all walking around with experiences and struggles — all kinds of things — and we sometimes think we’re the only ones going through them. The reality is that we probably have a lot in common with what our friends and colleagues and neighbors are dealing with.

“Because just by sharing what he shared, DeMar probably helped some people — and maybe a lot more people than we know — feel like they aren’t crazy or weird to be struggling with depression. His comments helped take some power away from that stigma, and I think that’s where the hope is.”

DeRozan and Love have continued a longstanding NBA-wide tradition, and willingness, to step outside the game and bring larger, more important social issues to the fore.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Stephen Curry, Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Stan Van Gundy, Carmelo Anthony; all have spoken out on a variety of ills plaguing society these days.

“There’s no shame in, you know, saying ‘Hey, I have anxiety issues or depression issues or whatever’… so I think that’s why DeMar did it, that’s why LeBron James speaks out on social issues, it does make a difference,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said Tuesday morning.

“And our players are intelligent, they’re smart and they do want to help in any way they can.”

DeRozan said he was going to try to reach out to Love somehow in the next couple of days, both in support and to discuss their shared experiences. The 28-year-old Raptor also said he wants to continue to speak out about his bouts of depression, how he deals with them and how fans should understand there’s nothing wrong with making issues public if the feel like.

It’s a leadership role DeRozan relishes.

“That was my whole intent of me speaking out. I understand it's hard to step up and do a thing like that, so if I had to be the sacrificial lamb to open up that gate to make everybody else feel comfortable, and share their story, and help the next person, that's what it's all about.”