Miami Heat shooting guard Dion Waiters posted a lengthy message on his instagram account Monday night, in which he addressed his depression, the season-ending surgery, and the trolls who joked about his weight.
The caption, accompanied by a before and after photo, reads:
"Last year when I came off 1 of the most depressing & frustrating times of my life. Coming off injury & not feeling like myself nor looking like myself I was in a dark place mentally & physically , Because the game I love so much was taken away due to season ending surgery. Now a days with this social media ran world they laughed at me made jokes etc not knowing what I was battling or going through everyday. So instead of me joining the circus I told myself you from (Philly) you’ve been through worst shit in your life than this. So I promise myself I would work my ass off & get back to where I was before the injury. I’m not done yet but I kno somebody in the world prolli needed to hear this. Stay positive block out the outside noise & grind. #Philly🧀 #stayTune"
Waiters, 27, has dealt with a number of injuries over the last three seasons, including a quad tear in the 2016-17 season and an ankle surgery in 2017-18 that caused him to miss half of last season. In 44 games with the Heat last year he averaged 12 points per game in roughly 26 minutes of action per night.
Check out Waiters' glow up in the IG post embedded below.