In an exclusive interview on ‘the OGs Show,’ former NBA All-Star John Wall opened up on some of the mental health issues he has endured over his lifetime. In a shocking admission, Wall revealed that he would be dead right now if not for his family and two kids.
“I know how it is and I try to tell people, mental health is serious. I had to go get a therapist after that. If it wasn’t for my two boys I would’ve killed myself. I put a gun to my head twice and a lot of people that’s close to me, my friends at the time, didn’t know,” said Wall to Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. “I had a video that came out, throwing up gang signs and stuff like that, that’s when was in my darkest moment, trying to find happiness… But I wanted to commit suicide and I was like man if I take myself away from his earth I’m failing my kids, like whose gonna be there to raise them?”
John Wall reveals he put a gun to head twice and almost committed suicide
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It’s been a rocky few years for the former NBA All-Star. After achieving some impressive seasons with the Wizards, he suffered a series of brutal injuries that derailed his career. He went from an All-Star to out of the league in a shockingly quick time and it was hard for him to adjust.
John’s decline on the court reached a boiling point in 2020 when he missed the whole season. But things got super serious when he was caught flashing gang signs in a controversial video. The act proved that Wall was in a bad place, but it turns out that things were even worse than anyone had imagined.
According to the former D.C. point guard, he put a gun to his head on two separate occasions and would have ended his own life had he not cared about abandoning his kids. Shockingly, even with career earnings of $276 million, John Wall reached rock bottom and it’s a miracle he was able to make it out unscathed.
Is There A Mental Health Crisis In The NBA?
John Wall’s sorry is undoubtedly tragic but he seems to be in a much better head today and is willing to talk openly and honestly about his struggles. Unfortunately, while we’d like to call his experience rare, it seems a growing number of players have or are experiencing some form of mental health problems.
Ben Simmons is arguably the most extreme example today. Dating back to the 2021 playoffs, Ben just hasn’t been right and he’s cited many times that his poor mental health has limited his ability to perform. Even when Simmons is on the court, his confidence is noticeably shot and there are doubts if he will ever recover.
Even Giannis Antetokounmpo struggles with mental health issues, and he’s talked about the topic before. During one media interview, he admitted that many players find it difficult to talk about their mental battles publicly.
Recently, more and more players are taking the leap of faith and being honest about their dark thoughts. From John Wall and Ben Simmons to Ricky Rubio and Andre Drummond, the mental health crisis is alive and well in the NBA and it seems players are finally starting out open up about it for the first time.
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