Kevin Love taking a major step forward as a leader

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love is a leader on and off-the-court.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star power forward Kevin Love has taken major steps as a leader, becoming perhaps the face of a movement that hopes to improve mental health awareness, remove the stigma of mental health issues and the taboo of men in particular discussing their own mental health issues.

On Tuesday, Love made an appearance on “Today” and announced that he’s launching the Kevin Love Fund, which will prioritize mental health.

The Kevin Love Fund will partner with Bring Change to Mind, Just Keep Livin and Headspace, with a hope to eventually retain the services of larger sponsors like Nike.

Love’s first step on what’s become an uplifting journey was his courageous admission that he struggles with anxiety and panic attacks in The Players Tribune and he’s been firing on all cylinders since then.

"I want to share some of my thoughts about my panic attack and what’s happened since….Partly, I want to do it for me, but mostly, I want to do it because people don’t talk about mental health enough. And men and boys are probably the farthest behind."

Last month, Love was interviewed by ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan and described his life as the face of the NBA’s mental health movement. While describing the challenges of dealing with problems that you can’t see as easily as say, a sprained ankle, Love also spoke on the impact he hoped to make by coming forward about his struggles with anxiety.

"“If you help one person… help one kid. It could be absolutely ground-breaking and life-changing for that kid.”"

Last Thursday, Love made an appearance on “The Daily Show” and while he was there debuting his new Banana Republic line and spoke on the Cleveland Cavaliers being excited for the challenge of life without LeBron, the most important subject for Love that night was the topic of mental health.

"“Success is not immune to depression.”"

Love is now known for far more than his impact on the court, which is what any athlete should strive for.

His work to empower individuals with mental health issues or even just a desire to help those who do will change the world.

On a personal note, I too have had my own battles with anxiety and depression. That said, seeing the work Love is doing to remove the stigma surrounding mental health is gratifying. Everyone is going through something.