Rockets’ Robert Covington explains how faith erased his depression

Houston Rockets 3-and-D forward Robert Covington has a powerful story of how his relationship with God helped him overcome depression.

Although professional athletes are viewed as gladiators on the playing surface, they too deal with the same challenges and battles as all of us. It gets lost in the shuffle because of the intense, supreme competitors that they are, but they have feelings and emotions, just like we do. On Tuesday afternoon, Houston Rockets forward Robert Covington allowed us all to see the other side of the supreme rim protector we’ve gotten to see this season.

Covington joined SportsTalk 790’s mid-afternoon show, titled The Matt Thomas Show, and had the courage to explain his own, personal bouts with depression. Covington stated that he would suddenly became angry at times, and would even lash out at several of his closest companions, which was concerning for him.

After all, RoCo has an even-keel persona and a laid back demeanor, so it’s understandable how this would alarm him. But he’s a millionaire and a professional athlete, so surely he wouldn’t ever deal with mental health challenges right? It’s unfortunate that this school of thought exists, because frankly that doesn’t have anything to do with the struggles and battles that athletes face in their everyday lives, because they’re normal people off the court.

RoCo has seen the business side of the NBA more than most, as he was sent to and from the Rio Grande Vipers during his first season in the NBA. The Rockets jumped from an eight seed finish in the 2012-13 season to the fourth seed during the 2013-14 season, which led to a 54-28 record.

The Rockets’ win total during the 2013-14 season was monumental, as they had only had this many wins once in the previous 16 seasons. But this happened to be the same year in which Covington joined the team, so he dealt with constantly being sent down to the G-League, and was ultimately released at the end of that season.

Next: RoCo in Philly