JD DuBois: A Coach Determined to Highlight Everyone With A Story

Coaching is a full-time job, one that takes time, dedication, and patience. JD DuBois understands this more than anyone else while serving as an assistant coach. His drive for helping players develop into their best selves stems from his passion for helping others and hearing their stories. He is using this passion, dedication, and patience to be a coach on and off the court.

JD is the assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons and is responsible for the Player Development Program. Before this role, he played basketball professionally overseas for three years in Europe and went on to coach with the Toronto Raptors, working with their Player Development program as well.

His experience in this position has allowed him to help people with their personal development through his nonprofit organization, Everyone Has a Story (EHAS).

EHAS is a 501 (c) nonprofit created to promote compassion for others, one story at a time, through community outreach, education, and assistance. Since its creation, the nonprofit has continued to expand by offering different programs such as # The Sankofa Initiative, #TheRightConversation, and Spread Love.

#The Sankofa Initiative: Normalizing Mental Wellness + Promoting Others, One Story At a Time

The Sankofa Initiative is a 12-week mental wellness program that provides therapeutic support, holistic coaching, psycho-education, implicit bias workshops, and more to help others understand the importance of mental wellness. Additionally, The Sankofa Initiative provides psychological support to help build long-term relationships with young people in Detroit and Minneapolis.

Members of the Sankofa Initiative are seeking to be active listeners to young people while providing them with essential resources. During this 12-week program, student participants will engage in subjects related to social-emotional learning, critical thinking, financial literacy, psychoeducational, and African Diaspora.

Some of their partners include The Boys and Girls Club, The National Basketball Coaches Association, Detroit Pistons, and Sony Pictures/Arista.

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#TheRightConversation: Holding Space To Hear Everyone’s Story

The Right Conversation, a podcast hosted by JD and NBA Team Psychotherapist Dr. Corey Yeager, provides a space to have conversations about mental health and wellness. The hosts are accompanied by athletes, entertainers, influencers, and wellness professionals to create a comfortable setting to address and break down stigmas, personal stories, share knowledge, and encourage vulnerability.

Spread Love

Spread Love is a hands-on community service event that celebrates EHAS’s mission to promote compassion for others, one story at a time through acts of service.

JD reminds us that our mental health is important and that each of our stories is worth being told and heard. For all other updates, news, or questions about how to get involved, be sure to stay connected with EHAS on Instagram.