When he was selected as the first pick in the 2010 NBA draft, it was clear what the expectations were John Wall. The playmaker who is in his only NCAA season with the Kentucky Wildcats at John Calipari recorded 16,6 points, 6,5 assists and 4,3 rebounds, he had all the necessary qualities to be a big star even in the strongest competition.
He quickly became the leader of the Washington Wizards, was a five-time All-Star, was the second highest paid player in the NBA with 47,4 million dollars per season (only Steph Curry had more - 48), but due to frequent injuries, his star began to slowly fade .
He skipped two seasons, the biggest teams avoided signing him, and he has been without a club since February 12 of last year, when Houston fired him just three days after signing him from the LA Clippers.
Wall took all those breaks hard, but no one knew how serious the situation was until he "opened up" on a podcast with former Miami aces, Judonis Haslem i Miller's mother. At one time, one of the best athletes in the NBA admitted that he was twice close to suicide.
- Mental health is a serious matter. I would take my own life if I didn't have two sons. Twice I held a gun to my head. I posted a video of myself throwing gang signs and other similar items. At that moment I was going through the lowest point and I was trying to figure out how to be happy - Wall admitted.
The player who averaged 2016 points and 2017 assists in the 23,1/10,7 season, the last one in which he was healthy, went to see a therapist after that. His darkest days were in 2022, when he was recovering from another injury to the Achilles tendon, and his mother was very unwell, because after cancer surgery she had a severe stroke, from which the left side of her body remained.
- Everything happened to me very quickly. I was on top of the world, and just three years later I lost almost everything that meant something to me. That 2017, I jumped on the scoreboard after making a three-pointer to win over Boston and win the championship. I was the king of the city, I thought I was a magician. And then, a year later, I tore my Achilles tendon and had an infection so bad after multiple surgeries that I almost had to have my leg amputated. Then I lost my best friend, my mother, who died of breast cancer. It all left big scars, but the help of a psychotherapist helped me - said Wall, who also admitted in 2022 in a letter to the "Players Tribune" that he thought about suicide.
Yes, however, he hasn't lost his sense of humor, he showed with the way he ended the visit to Haslem and Miller.
- Offer me to Miami, I think I could help you - said the 33-year-old basketball player with a smile.
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