The debate on how high performance competition can affect mental health is reopened. And it is that as announced by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPNIndiana Pacers assistant coach Bill Bayno has resigned from his position under Nate Bjorkgren, citing mental health reasons.
In the past, there have been several players who have been encouraged to bring up the subject in public. Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan have become the greatest exponents of the fight against this type of problem that is so underestimated in the world of sports. The Cavaliers player has even funded a mental health gym to support people with these conditions.
Now it is Bayno’s turn, who has directly decided to withdraw from the profession that he developed so well at 58 years of age. In this sense, the coach began a leave of absence two weeks ago, and finally resolved to arrange with the team the terms of an exit.
As mentioned in the report of the aforementioned journalist, Bayno would have privately communicated the need to get away from the pressure and burden of the NBA routine. Above all, he has been especially affected by the pandemic, and by various personal losses, including those of his parents in 2019 and 2020.
In addition to the loss of father and mother, Bayno has also lost several close friends in the course of the current pandemic. And while he doesn’t rule out a future return to his coaching duties, for now he understands that the best decision is to get away for a while.
His coaching career
In addition to his qualities as a coach, Bayno developed a solid reputation for his work in developing young players. He had experiences as an assistant in the NBA, with opportunities in Portland, Minnesota and Toronto. He previously obtained two jobs as head coach in college: a five-year career at UNLV (which included two trips to the NCAA tournament), and several months as Loyola Marymount’s head coach in the 2008-09 season, before taking a leave of absence and finally resigning for “Medical reasons”.
He finally came to the Pacers in 2016, as an assistant to former coach Nate McMillan. But his strong performance within the franchise made him remain in Nate Bjorkgren’s coaching staff when he took over the team last offseason.
(Cover photo by Brian Munoz / Getty Images)
