Michael Beasley’s NBA career has been at a halt since 2019. The last time he played in the league was during his one-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. After that, Beasley tried his luck in different basketball leagues in Puerto Rico and China. Recently, NBA veteran Tracy McGrady uploaded a clip on his Instagram, vouching for Beasley and his abilities as an athlete.
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The seven-time All-Star confidently stated that Beasley was “too good for the NBA“ but somehow, he got left out early. While T-Mac was just trying to shed some light on Beasley, Stephen Jackson didn’t agree with his take.
Beasley was the #2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He was touted as one of the best talents in the country at the time. After spending his first six years between three teams, he couldn’t find a place for himself in the league which forced him to go play for the Shanghai Sharks in 2014. In 2016 he made a comeback and stayed active in the NBA until 2019. The last time he represented the Lakers, he was 30 years old.
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In T-Mac’s assessment, Beasley was a great player at that age and still things didn’t work out in his favor. He said, “I think Michael Beasley is too good. As crazy as that sounds. And what I mean by that, Michael Beasley can hoop…inside, outside, this dude has game and whatever team I think he’s on, he could be the best player.” He also stated that he has personally experienced Beasley’s talent during the pickup games he used to have at his house.
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As per McGrady, Beasley could average 25 points a game in the league at any given moment. After witnessing a little pushback on his post, T-Mac commented, “This take is about younger Beasley not being in the league!” Jackson also vouched for Beasley’s presence in the league, but he disagreed with McGrady’s tall claim.
He stated, “He def should be a star in the league but nobody is too good for the league. Just my opinion. I know what mac meant though.” Unfortunately, Beasley has struggled with something bigger than the game itself which makes his basketball career less important in comparison.
Michael Beasley opened up about his mental health issues
During a conversation with CBS Sports in 2023, Beasley opened up about his struggles with mental health. He said, “My message right now is if you are feeling something, not feeling OK, it’s OK to ask questions. It’s OK to be curious. It’s OK to want to figure out your own mind.”
The former NBA star urged people to be more aware of how they feel in certain situations as it’ll allow them to deal with it accordingly.
Beasley said, “Trying to detach yourself from the character, the star, the basketball player, what people know, because that is what people know you as. Sometimes it gets overbearing, but it comes with the territory.”
He also made a specific request to the younger generation about mental health struggles. Beasley urged them to be more open about it without the fear of being judged because, in his opinion, there’s always someone out there who is willing to help.
