Former NBA Player Tells Rutgers Health Students How He Rebounded From a Speech Impediment

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist visits a Rutgers Health classroom to explain how he turned his lifelong stutter into a platform for change and awareness

When former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist stepped into the classroom at Rutgers School of Health Professions, first-year students leaned forward in their seats - not because of his athletic fame, but because of his honesty.

"I used to hide my stutter," he told the Rutgers Health students. "Now I share it so others can find their voice."

Kidd-Gilchrist, who played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association before founding Change & Impact, a nonprofit organization advocating for the stuttering community, visited a Byrne Seminar called "Stuttering: Myths and Mysteries" on Oct. 6 in Piscataway, N.J. The small, discussion-based class introduces first-year students to the science, psychology and lived experience of stuttering, offering a window into the human side of communication disorders.

The visit was arranged through Celeste Domsch, program director of the university's master of science in speech-language pathology program, who connected with Kidd-Gilchrist through his advocacy work.

For Kidd-Gilchrist, who grew up in Somerdale, the event marked not just another stop on his nationwide speaking tour: It was personal. He has helped push for legislation in five states to expand insurance coverage for stuttering therapy and hopes to see a similar bill introduced in New Jersey.

Finding Power in Vulnerability

Kidd-Gilchrist spoke candidly about growing up feeling isolated because of his speech.

"As a kid from South Jersey, I know what it's like to be picked on and teased," he said. "But I also had people around me - family, friends, teammates - who helped me through."

He told students about the nerves he felt the day he was drafted into the NBA in 2012.

"That was my dream," he said. "But I knew when I walked into that press conference, it wasn't just me who would feel the effects of my stutter."

Despite the pressure of national media attention, he pushed through - an experience that, he said, taught him courage and empathy for others who struggle to speak.

During his talk, Kidd-Gilchrist emphasized communication goes beyond fluent speech.

"It's about connecting with people, even when the words don't come easily," he said.

A Shared Mission with Future Clinicians

Kidd-Gilchrist founded his nonprofit in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he realized that many people who stutter couldn't access therapy because insurance plans rarely covered it.

"I wanted to help people across the country who feel lonely, who feel isolated, and who are just lost," he said.

Since then, he has helped advocate for and pass bills in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New York requiring insurance companies to cover speech therapy for stuttering.

He recalled testifying before state legislators and hearing them vote yes on one of his proposed laws.

"In that room, just hearing 'yes, yes, yes' for the first time in my life, I was proud to stutter," he said. "I never felt that before."

For Kidd-Gilchrist, the fight for legislative change is deeply connected to his personal journey.

"Without speech therapists, there is a hard road ahead," he said. "If I can help one kid, I'm all down for it."

Inspiring the Next Generation of Clinicians

Our students gain so much when they hear directly from people with lived experience. It reinforces why empathy and advocacy are central to speech-language pathology.

Celeste Domsch

Program Director, Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Program

For many students, hearing his vulnerability from someone who once played under the national spotlight was powerful.

"I have a slight stutter too," said one first-year student majoring in biological sciences. "I thought it would get better as I got older, and I didn't think there were others who still struggled with it. Hearing his perspective made me feel seen. It gave me hope."

Kidd-Gilchrist reminded students that every person's story matters.

"We all have something we deal with," he said. "For me, I was hiding from myself. Now I'm proud of who I am."

By inviting advocates such as Kidd-Gilchrist into the classroom, faculty can help students see the human experience behind the science, said Domsch, an associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences.

"Our students gain so much when they hear directly from people with lived experience," she said. "It reinforces why empathy and advocacy are central to speech-language pathology."