Former Duke star and NBA player Kyle Singler drew concern across the basketball world Tuesday after posting a pair of bizarre videos on Instagram.
In the two videos, with the first posted Monday night and the second Tuesday afternoon, a shirtless Singler rants in a nearly empty room about being treated badly by his “community” and implies he has been trying to start a new business after his playing career, which ended when he retired in 2019.
Singler’s statement in the first video:
“I need to make an announcement, because I feel like my voice is getting silenced and every day, s*** is being thrown my way. My community, f***ed. I have been mistreated and abused, neglected, made into a mental example and I fear for my life every day.
“People in my community make me look out as if I’m going to be someone that’s going to be a problem and make things difficult for people when I’m only trying to be helpful. I feel like I have a certain way about myself and strength and purpose that does not get valued or get treated properly.”
And the second:
“So like I was saying, I’ve been in this house for five years, and it is a hole. I’ve gone out to my community, I’ve tried to bring my family and friends in to play, to try to help me out, start a new career, begin a new life, and everybody has played me into a fool.
“Creating chaos, creating narratives to, again, have it be profitable for people. My life has not changed at all. I’m being held hostage in a certain situation and positioned to, again, create a false narrative about someone and people in general, when all I have been wanting to do is create a business in nature to all people to feel —”
Those two videos are the only posts on Singler’s Instagram page as of Tuesday afternoon.
The two videos created significant worries about Singler’s mental health. Kevin Love, who played on Singler’s AAU team before college, called for everyone who could to support Singler. Love has spoken about his own mental health struggles in the past.
In addition to Love, NBA veterans Isaiah Thomas and Andre Drummond both commented on Singler’s videos with supportive messages. Thomas wrote, “Here for you bro! Always and forever,” with Drummond adding, “You aren’t alone brother! I’m here for you.”
Singler holds an important place in Duke basketball history as one of the stars of their 2010 national championship team. Alongside current Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, he received first-team All-ACC honors and Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four that season.
The Detroit Pistons drafted Singler with the 33rd overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent the first three years of his NBA career as a starter, but saw his playing time fade over the following years. He averaged 6.5 points in 21.9 minutes per game in six seasons with the Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder.
After his release from the Thunder in 2018, Singler played a pair of seasons in Spain before announcing his retirement in 2019 due to personal reasons.
Belgium
