Welcome to

NBA legend Magic Johnson was at the State Capitol meeting with student athletes, encouraging them to start a conversation about mental health Tuesday.

The CDC reports mental health-related emergency department visits spiked by 31 percent among teens last year.

It’s one of many stats demonstrating the strain the pandemic has put on teens mental health.

“My grandson really struggled,” said Johnson.

But the 5X NBA Champion is hoping to help students turn things around by starting a conversation.

“We sometimes in the Black community don’t talk about things like this,” said Johnson.

Talking with student athletes at the State Capitol Johnson and mental health experts and the head of Florida’s Department of Children and Families took on the topic of mental health, letting the teens know it’s okay to ask for help.

“It’s okay if you’re sad, but it’s not okay if you keep it inside,” said Dr. Lisa Gwynn, who severs as Chair of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Johnson also encouraged the students to share how the pandemic affected them.

“Being in a classroom and just having the right mindset is a very important thing, so some people did struggle. I was one of them,” said Leana, a 10th grade student.

Johnson said he was pleasantly surprised by how willing the students were to share their feelings and called it a sign that times had changed.

“How many times will young people stand up and say and tell you the truth like that? That was just outstanding, and so for me, it helped me too,” said Johnson.

And students we spoke with told us seeing their peers being so open, made them feel more comfortable with their own struggles.

“Me in particular, I’m going through some things right now and I think this was good for me and good for the younger students,” said FAMU basketball player Cameron Reaves.

And Johnson encouraged the student athletes to take what they learned back to their schools to help keep the conversation going.

Johnson and other speakers at the event encouraged students to visit SimplyHealthyMinds.com, a new website dedicated to providing mental health resources to kids, teens and parents.