John Wall has been very honest about his mental struggles in recent times, and the Los Angeles Clippers’ new point guard isn’t finished sharing his experiences with this issue and what he’s learned over the years.
Ahead of a challenging 2022-23 NBA season with the Clips, Wall looks pretty confident that he can help Kawhi Leonard and Paul George get the job done at Crypto.com Arena, but that won’t come as easy as people think.
Meanwhile, Wall keeps sharing details of his journey from suffering a terrible injury when he was with the Washington Wizards to his renewed hopes with the Clippers now. A championship could be the greatest reward for Wall after all he’s lived, but for now, he’s happy sharing his experience with the rest of the community.
John Wall Says He Almost Had His Foot Amputated
In a piece he wrote for The Players’ Tribune, Wall talked about the things he went through since 2017, how things quickly changed for him and what led him to consider ending his own life at some point.
Listen, I know exactly who I am. I’m a dog. I been knocked down and got up off the canvas 100 times. From a skinny little kid growing up in Section 8 in Raleigh to the No. 1 pick — all the ups and downs and the sh*t I’ve seen? I know exactly who I am, and what I represent, and how many people need to hear this. So I’m not afraid to tell you that I’ve been in a place that was so dark that suicide felt like the only option.
I mean, we’re not supposed to even say the word right?? It’s almost like a taboo, especially in the community I come from. Well, I’ll speak on it.
Wall talked about the passing of his mother, but also about the fact that he almost got his foot amputated due to a bad infection he got from injuries.
For me, it all happened really fast. In the span of three years, I went from being on top of the world to losing damn near everything I ever cared about. In 2017, I’m jumping up on the announcer’s table in D.C. after forcing Game 7 against Boston, and I’m the king of the city. I’m getting a max extension, thinking I’m a Wizard for life. A year later, I tore my Achilles and lost the only sanctuary I’ve ever known — the game of basketball. I ended up with such a bad infection from the surgeries that I nearly had to have my foot amputated. A year later, I lost my best friend in the whole world, my mom, to breast cancer.
This has been anything but easy, and Wall has gone through that with a lot of courage. Of course, at some point, he couldn’t take it anymore and asked for help, but the Clippers’ point guard is doing better now. These are the things nobody dares to talk about because of all the stigma, but it’s great to see that Wall raised his voice and this decision will help other players and regular people in his position.
