Cotton opens up on lifelong anxiety battle

Six-time MVP Bryce Cotton has had countless battles on the court, which he more often than not has won.

But in a recent interview with CODE Sports, the three-time champion has opened up on a different kind of battle he’s been dealing with head-on since he was in his teens.

“I’ve had bad anxiety since I was 17 years old,” Cotton, 34, told CODE Sports.

“Anxiety is like a newly diagnosed thing, whereas when I was coming up through the ranks that wasn’t really a thing.

“I guess over the years as I started to learn more I was like, ‘Oh that is what anxiety is, and this is what mental health is’ and it made me realise I tick a lot of those boxes.”

This ongoing battle for Cotton came to the fore during an NBL26 fixture against Illawarra in Adelaide on November 19.

During the fourth quarter, Cotton was visibly shaken, in what he called “one of the more pivotal moments for me as a person”.

Despite feeling physically ill and dealing with a heavy personal matter mid-game, Cotton tallied 31 points and 13 assists to lead the 36ers to a 97-85 victory over the Hawks.

“When you have an anxiety attack, if anyone has had one, your thoughts go to immediate doom, but at the same time the game was close, and I didn’t want to lose,” he said.

“In those moments, literally in my mind I’m like, ‘I’d rather die than quit on the team.’

“Because what if I don’t die and don’t play this last quarter and I let the team down, then I’ve got something else to add to my anxiety.

“I just figured at the end of the day I’m feeling what I feel, but I’m not going to let it stop me, and I decided to go out there and literally play through the tears.

“The one thing I was most proud of was that I chose not to hide – I chose to play through it, and I still played well.”

Former Sydney Kings captain Brad Rosen credited Cotton for opening up about his battles during Sunday’s broadcast on ESPN.

“I’ve struggled with anxiety after I retired, and that man’s going through it now,” Rosen said.

“We see these ‘Are You Okay Days', and for someone like that [to speak like this is huge].

“Everyone struggles in silence, and that’s why we have to, as men, but I’m talking everyone in general, we have to be able to talk to people and come out there.

“Greg Hire does an outstanding job in Perth. Peter Hooley has spoken about it before [too].

“It’s something that our League can lead by example, and for Bryce Cotton to come out and say that, I applaud him.”

Cotton and his 36ers next travel to MyState Bank Arena to play Tasmania on Friday night from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.

‍Read the full story here >> Six-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton, opens up on the night his lifelong anxiety battle went public