Mariah Antetokounmpo, wife of NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, is opening up to fans of the basketball star about a personal struggle.
“Being vulnerable nowadays is kind of scary, but if I can help just one person, I believe sharing my story is worth it,” Mariah wrote via Instagram on Sunday, September 28, revealing that she has struggled with postpartum depression following the birth of the pair’s fourth child, Aria Capri.
“I’m not telling my experience for sympathy or accolades — I’m sharing because I want to use my platform in hopes of helping someone else who may be struggling with their mental health,” she continued. “Four kids later and you’d think I have it all figured out — but I don’t. Nothing can truly prepare you for becoming a mom, or in my case, a mom of four. While childbirth was the most physically painful thing my body has enduring, battling my mental health has proven just as challenging. I survived PPD with our firstborn, but I truly wasn’t ready for what was to come this time around.”
Mariah, 33, admitted she began suffering from anxiety “before I even gave birth,” adding that “my brain was somehow convinced I had a terminal illness that would prevent me from seeing my kids grow up. My panic attacks worsened, and my reliance on the internet as a diagnostic tool sent me into the darkest of spirals.”
Capri’s birth was “smooth” and the baby was healthy, Mariah said, and the pair’s “fourth baby is the sweetest little angel I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
But soon after her daughter was safely delivered, she explained that her “mental health took a turn — and the dark thoughts started creeping back in.”
Instead of reaching out for help, Mariah wrote, she shut down.
“I found solace in isolating myself and hiding what was really going on,” she explained. “Like every mom, I held it together the best I could for my kids and my husband. Looking back, leaning on my family is what truly kept me afloat. I wasn’t myself; I was showing up and caring for my family, but my mind wasn’t present.”
Though Mariah hid her pain “for several months,” she ultimately decided to open up about the experience as “one step in my healing journey.” As she put it, “this honesty feels so freeing.”
Mariah also posted a series of photos, including one featuring the mom of four smiling, another that shows her kissing a beaming Capri on the cheek and a third of herself and Giannis laughing together as they attempt to take a selfie.
In addition to Capri, Mariah and Giannis also share sons Liam and Maverick as well as daughter Eva. The pair began dating in 2014 after meeting in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League, where Mariah interned for two summers after graduating from Rice University.
Mariah and Giannis were together for 10 years before they married in September 2024.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.