John Wall is an immensely talented player in the NBA who played for three separate teams before his sudden career hiatus. Once a promising prospect when he got drafted into the league by the Washington Wizards in 2010, Wall has struggled with various injuries ever since. Lately, a lesser-known detail from his early days has been revealed by basketball coach Sam Cassell.
Cassell, who is an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, recently appeared on The Draymond Green Show. He then narrated the story of what happened during Wall’s rookie year in the NBA.
According to Sam Cassell, he did not mince words with John Wall when the latter asked him what he thought about the consecutive losses. The 54-year-old further stated that as a coach, his job is to tell his players the truth no matter how uncomfortable it is. That was exactly what he did when Wall confided in him back then as a rookie.
John Wall, his rookie year, he lost eight games from high school to college... Knocked on my doorstep... John Wall in tears crying. He lost 25 games and it ain't December yet. He asked me, say 'OG is it gonna get any better?'... I looked him in the face, said 'No' ... I throw him the towel and then I said, 'It's gonna be bad next year too.'Sam Cassell told Draymond Green
At one point in his career, Wall was considered among the best point guards in the league. Coming straight out of Kentucky into his rookie year in pro basketball, the 33-year-old carried a lot of hype. Moreover, he was the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards. However, his career was thrown off balance by multiple injuries, most notably a ruptured Achilles tendon that kept him out for the entire 2019-20 season. Since then, he has struggled to get his career back on track.
John Wall opened up about having suicidal thoughts
With the abrupt pause of his NBA career given the frequent injury problems, John Wall has talked about his struggles and mental health. The North Carolina native last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2023, a team he joined a year prior in 2022.
In an interview on The OGs Show, Wall revealed he started struggling with his mental health and twice thought about committing suicide.
I had a gun to my head twice. I wanted to commit suicide, and I was like, 'Man, if I take myself away from this earth, I'm failing my kids. Who is going to be there to raise them?'... Mental health is serious. So, I had to go get a therapist after that. If it wasn't for my two boys, I would have killed myself.John Wall said
The point guard, who was named five times to the NBA All-Star Team in the past, is not retired yet. Instead, Wall is actively trying to get back to the league. His last game was on January 13, 2023, for the Clippers where he sustained an abdominal injury that has since kept him sidelined.
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