Since John Wall made All-NBA for the 2016-17 season, it has been an unfortunate series of events leading to a decline in play. None worse than the last two years when he barely played and lost his mom to breast cancer, and his grandmother a year later. The Los Angeles Clippers guard opened up about this on Aug. 11 at a garden dedication ceremony for his mother at the Salvation Army of Wake County, North Carolina, and revealed he considered committing suicide.
“Darkest place I ever been,” Wall said. “At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide.” Wall said when asked about the last two years of his life. “Tearing my Achilles, my mom being sick. My mom passing. My grandma passed a year later. All this in the midst of COVID at the same time.”
john wall on his life the past 2 years and dealing with suicidal thoughts. my dawg really a warrior. can’t wait to see him hoop with the clippers.🖤💯 pic.twitter.com/zNy4CP4Jk7
— ®️ (@subarchives) August 29, 2022
For Wall to share such an extremely personal and vulnerable moment, suggests that he’s in a very healthy place mentally. When someone gets to a place where suicide is a consideration, you know they’re dealing with a heavy situation.
Wall advocates for therapy and says it’s the reason he’s in a better place today.
“Find a therapist,” Wall said. “You know a lot of people think, ‘I don’t need help. I can get it through it at any time.’ But, you got to be true to yourself and find out what’s best for you. And I did that.”
Wall, then a member of the Washington Wizards, had surgery on both knees prior to the 2016-17 season. He rested on the second night of back-to-back games and the team limited his minutes. He played in 78 games and earned All-NBA and All-Star accolades.
The following season he missed two and a half months dealing with those troublesome knees that required surgery, again. He was limited to 41 games. In the 2018-19 season Wall suffered a heel injury in December and missed the rest of the year.
After undergoing surgery on the heel, Wall developed an infection in the incision from that surgery, then suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon when he slipped and fell in his home. He missed the entire 2019-2020 season.
Wall was traded to the Houston Rockets before the 2020-21 season. He played sparingly but pretty well, considering. Averaging 20.6 points per game and just under seven assists. He suffered a grade two hamstring tear in April and missed the rest of the season.
In a tanking effort, the Rockets refused to play Wall last season as the team was rebuilding and developing their young guards.
On the Clippers Wall is expected to add depth to their guard rotation and help facilitate the offense when either or both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are off the floor. If healthy, this is a team that can contend for the Western Conference.
“John is one of the great downhill drivers and shot creators of his era,” said Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations. “He will add depth to our backcourt with his initiating, passing and point-of-attack defense.”
Reports are that Wall has looked good in offseason workouts. Training camps open next month and the former All-Star has a new lease on his basketball life in Los Angeles.
Suicide is a serious matter. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.
