© 2026 ABC News

McCallie said revealing her bipolar diagnosis publicly at this time in her life and career was the \"only way to do it fairly.\"

\"It would have been terrible for my teams to bring a huge distraction and to bring it publicly,\" \"And to be quite frank, I don’t think I was ready. I think it takes some time and maturity to be able to tell your story and to tell it in a heartfelt matter with truth behind it, no denial.\"

\"PHOTO:
Lance King/Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie of the Duke Blue Devils encourages her team against the Connecticut Huskies at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 17, 2013 in Durham, N.C.
>

McCallie, who said she hopes to continue coaching in some capacity in the future, used her experience as a coach in assembling a team to help her live with bipolar disorder.

\"It’s so important for people out there to know that they’re not alone, and speaking from a coach’s perspective, to build your team,\" she said. \"You’ve got to have a team of people behind you -- people that know your truth, that love you for who you are and that can reach out and make a difference in your life.\"

\"PHOTO:
Lance King/Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates following their 92-73 victory against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the finals of the 2013 Women's ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., March 10, 2013.
>

\"Don’t go alone. Don’t ever try to manage your brain health alone,\" McCallie said. \"There are so many people out there who can help.\"

The basketball coach also credits her faith with helping to guide her, specifically a concept she calls \"faith over fear.\"

\"It’s an amazing concept when you feel that hope and you feel it with God and you understand that there is a higher power because all of us get to that point where we really do wonder if there is a higher love there to take care of us,\" she said. \"I’m really fortunate to have a great faith and lots of people around me that have taught me about my faith.\"

McCallie, who is also a cancer survivor, said she wants people with bipolar disorder to know the importance of understanding their own brain.

\"PHOTO:
Richard Messina/Hartford Courant/TNS via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Duke Blue Devils head coach Joanne P. McCallie looks on during the second half in women's college basketball game against the Connecticut Huskies at Gampel Pavilion on Jan. 21, 2013, in Storrs, Conn.
>

\"You have to be honest with yourself. You have to self-analyze,\" she said. \"You have to understand the power of the brain and do all of the little things -- exercise, eat right, get your good sleep -- do what you need to do to be in your best health possible.\"

McCallie said she also hopes that by speaking out she'll help reduce the stigma of mental illness, saying, \"Stories need to be the critical part over any stigmas.\"

ABC News' Jay Alpert contributed to this report.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Wellness/famed-college-basketball-coach-reveals-off-court-battle/story?id=75943877","legacySlug":"/wellness/story/famed-college-basketball-coach-reveals-off-court-battle-75943877","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"16:15","publishDate":"02-17-2021","updatedTime":"13:03","updatedDate":"02-18-2021","socialImage":{"alt":"Duke Blue Devils head coach Joanne P. McCallie looks on during the second half in women's college basketball game against the Connecticut Huskies at Gampel Pavilion on Jan. 21, 2013, in Storrs, Conn.","credit":"Richard Messina/Hartford Courant/TNS via Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/joanne-p-mccallie-01-gty-iwb-210217_1613577256574_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"2/17/2021 16:15:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":75943877,"headline":"College basketball coach reveals bipolar disorder","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Ex Duke coach talks bipolar disorder_210217","description":"Ex-Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 30.","duration":"5:41","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/02/210217_gma_coachP_840_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["73054818","75893231","67453714"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"September 22, 2020","headline":"As US hits 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, experts warn of growing mental health crisis","section":"wellness","slug":"/wellness/story/us-hits-200000-covid-19-deaths-experts-warn-73054818","id":73054818,"image":{"alt":"As US hits 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, experts warn of growing mental health crisis","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/girl-mask-window-gty-jt-200918_1600446861808_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Justin Paget/Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"February 16, 2021","headline":"Black Girls Breathing founder shares tips to use your breath to ease stress","section":"wellness","slug":"/wellness/story/black-girls-breathing-founder-shares-tips-breath-ease-75893231","id":75893231,"image":{"alt":"Black Girls Breathing founder shares tips to use your breath to ease stress","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Health/BlackGirlsBreathing_Main_v03_ag_1613429531747_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Black Girls Breathing / ABC Photo Illustration","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"December 3, 2019","headline":"Taraji P. Henson opens up about mental health and menopause","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/taraji-henson-opens-mental-health-menopause-67453714","id":67453714,"image":{"alt":"Taraji P. Henson opens up about mental health and menopause","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/taraji-p-henson-01-gty-jt-191202_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Rich Fury/Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"College basketball coach reveals bipolar disorder","description":"Ex-Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 30.","duration":"5:41","uploadDate":"02-17-2021","publication":"02-17-2021","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/02/210217_gma_coachP_840_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/02/210217_gma_coachP_840_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/famed-college-basketball-coach-reveals-off-court-battle-75943877"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131046664","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131048076","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131033212","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130999943","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130971027","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:wellness:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"wellness","title":"College basketball coach reveals bipolar disorder","pubTime":"11:15","pubDate":"02-17-2021","modTime":"08:03","modDate":"02-18-2021","taxonomyTags":"none","id":75943877,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"College basketball coach reveals bipolar disorder","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Ex Duke coach talks bipolar disorder_210217","videoId":75943877,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/wellness/story/famed-college-basketball-coach-reveals-off-court-battle-75943877"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/75943877","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/75943877","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};