James Donaldson: From NBA to Near-Oblivion

Update: 2025-09-16

Description

9 40

Show Notes

James Donaldson isn’t just a former NBA player. He’s a man who nearly didn’t make it. After a series of blows—major surgeries, losing his mom, a marriage breakdown, and closing his business—James was swallowed by suicidal ideation for a full year. But he clawed his way back.

Now through Your Gift of Life Foundation, James speaks to youth, communities, and especially men, about the courage to say: “I’m not okay.” He challenges the stigma, opens conversations that save lives, and works to build a pipeline of diverse mental health professionals for the future.

If you’ve ever felt like tomorrow is impossible—this conversation proves it isn’t.

💥 What We Talk About

The collapse: surgeries, grief, financial loss, and isolation.
Twelve months of suicidal ideation—and what pulled James through.
Why men struggle to ask for help (and why that silence is deadly).
How today’s youth are being raised by phones, not people.
His foundation’s mission to bring hope and representation to mental health care.
The book Celebrating Your Gift of Life and its practical tools.

🔗 Connect with James Donaldson

🌐 CelebratingYourGiftOfLife.com

📘 Celebrating Your Gift of Life (signed copies available on his site)

📌 Founder: Your Gift of Life Foundation

📞 If You’re in Crisis

In North America: dial or text 988 for free, 24/7 support.
Elsewhere: please reach out to your local suicide prevention hotline.
#YouMatter

💬 Subscribe, Rate & Share

If this story moved you, share it. It could be the lifeline someone else didn’t know they needed.

#ConverSAVEtions

Bio

James Donaldson (Basketball Player, Author, Mental Health Advocate)

Born: August 16, 1957, Heacham, England
Height: 7'2"
NBA Career: Played 14 seasons (1980–1995) with teams including the Seattle SuperSonics, San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He was an NBA All-Star in 1988 and led the league in field goal percentage in 1985.
Post-NBA: Continued playing in Europe until 1999.
Off the Court: Founded The Donaldson Clinic (1990–2018), ran for Seattle mayor in 2009 and 2021, and became a motivational speaker focusing on mental health and suicide prevention.

James is a Washington State University graduate (’79).

He now devotes the majority of his time to toward the Gift of Life Foundation, speaking on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. He published “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” in 2021. www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, youth groups and also is the author of the published “Standing Above the Crowd” of which you can learn more about at www.standingabovethecrowd.com