Former Basketball Star Jerry West Admits Struggle with Anxiety

In October 2011, hall of fame basketball player Jerry West released a book called West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life. Instead of using this platform to catalogue his various achievements (of which there were many), West decided to write about his struggles with anxiety and depression. It turns out the man who earned the nickname "Mr. Clutch" because of his outstanding performances under pressure and who inspired the official NBA logo was also debilitated by such high levels of game-day tension that life became almost unbearable for him. One of his biographers, Roland Lazenby describes West's early days on the court:
As he gained more confidence and took on more responsibility, West became wracked by incredible game-day tension. He would become a pacing nervous animal each game day, with the tension building moment by moment until he was absolutely beside himself with anxiety over his coming performance. It was a condition that threatened to take down his legacy before it ever got started. "I've always been a nervous person," West admitted many times.

Jerry West, West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, (Little, Brown and Company, 2011);

and Roland Lazenby, Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon, (ESPN Books, 2009), p. 139.