Maine Celtics forward Tony Snell revealed Monday he was recently diagnosed with autism and admitted to feeling relief. The NBA veteran currently plays for Boston’s G League affiliate in Portland, Oregon.
Snell, 31, only found out he is autistic due to his infant son receiving the same diagnosis and was relieved to finally understand more about himself.
Jokic playing basketball as young kid
“I’m like, if (Karter) is diagnosed, then I think I am too. … That gave me the courage to go get checked up,” Snell said. “I was not surprised because I always felt different. … It was just relief, like, oh, this why I am the way I am.”
Snell and wife Ashley spoke to NBC about signs they noticed in their 2-year-old Karter before taking him to get tested for autism.
Lack of speech development and stimming movements are early signs of the disorder that affects one’s social skills, among other areas.
Autism in the Black community
Snell went on to explain how autism is not discussed nearly enough in the Black community due to lack of knowledge or awareness and a negative stigma.
“We don’t have much knowledge of it, and I think some people are nervous to open up,” Snell said. “People got lots of stuff going on individually, and it’s hard to open up to things that people might not know about.”
Snell also found a silver lining in the fact he’ll be able to relate to his son and help him navigate the world.
“I just want to change lives and inspire people. I want to make sure my son knows that I have his back,” said Snell. “When I was a kid, I felt different … but now I could show him that I’m right here with you, (and) we’re going to ride this thing together. We’re going to grow together, and we’re going to accomplish a lot of things together.”
