The standing-room-only audience in the UVU Grand Ballroom was regaled the morning of Oct. 27 as former Utah Jazz power forward, NBA broadcast analyst, and inspirational speaker Thurl Bailey delivered the opening keynote at the 2023 UVU Conference on Mental Health. Bailey replaced actor and mental health advocate Sean Astin as keynote speaker following Astin’s contraction of COVID-19.

The former Utah Jazz star’s impressive 6”11 frame nearly leapt onto the stage while Bailey, in his trademark baritone, began by singing Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” The enthused audience joined Bailey during the chorus.

“I’m a big Sean Astin fan,” Bailey said, “but I’m not sure he could have pulled that one off.”

Bailey shared his life journey, from growing up during the civil rights movement in Washington D.C., winning the 1983 NCAA Championship while at North Carolina State University, to playing for the Utah Jazz.  

Bailey called upon the audience to reach out to others by not being afraid to share their life journeys.

“I believe every one of us has a story and has a journey,” he said. “And I believe if we could share those experiences, we could help the people who may be struggling. Sometimes, with mental health, you think you're in it alone. You think you're struggling like no one else has gone through what you’re going through right now.”

The Call

Bailey recounted a childhood memory of him playing basketball with his father, citing that it was this experience that “called” him to become a basketball player.

“Something calls us into maybe what our passion is. I was called to wanting to be a basketball player just by sitting next to my dad. The call happens to decide that this is what I want to pursue. And in that pursuit, it's pretty inevitable because nothing comes easy.”

The Pit

“There's going to be some failure moments and I call (these) failure moments or pit moments,” Bailey said.

Bailey recalled an experience from his high school days where, despite being 6’7, he didn’t make the school basketball team. He described looking at the sheet of paper on the coach’s door, seeing his name absent from the team roster, and running to the bathroom across the hall to cry.

“That was the first time in my life — my young life, my young important life  — that I had really ever felt like I failed at anything.”

Bailey counseled listeners not to be afraid to share their own personal “pit” with others.

 “It's the toughest part of the journey. It's so important to talk about because people are there, and they want to know how you did it. When you're down in that deep part, some people want to stay there. It's comfortable there. But there's got to be hope. There's got to be something that they're searching for to try to get out.”

The Search & Discovery

Bailey’s final steps for sharing one’s journey were what he calls the Search and Discovery.

“When you search for long enough, you find those people who can help you with discovery. And when you discover, the last thing you get is results. If you have not had a chance to build that story, write that story. Write down how you were able to get out of that pit while you (were) searching (and) what you discovered along the way. I guarantee you it's going to help so many people to hear the things that you've gone through.”

Bailey concluded his remarks by thanking the UVU audience for the opportunity to share his journey.

“Continue to do what you do,” he said. “Let's help change and save lives.”

The UVU Conference on Mental Health is an annual conference hosted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The event features keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and poster presentations that discuss critical mental health topics such as addiction, depression, interpersonal violence, and suicide prevention.