”I thought about committing suicide"-John Wall opens up about the darkest time of his life
John Wall
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The past few years haven't been kind to Los Angeles Clippers guard John Wall. Not only did he deal with the most brutal injury in sports, but he also experienced losing his mother to cancer.
After a year, he then lost his grandmother in the middle of recovering from an Achilles injury, which, as we all know, significantly affected his career. In his recent John Wall Foundation event, the veteran guard opened up about the darkest time of his life.
A place no person deserves to be in
Wall, who's about to begin his 12th year in the league, said that at one point, he thought about ending his life because of all his suffering in the last 3 years. It reached a point where it was just one bad news on top of another, which he admitted he could no longer withstand.
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"Darkest place I've ever been in," Wall explained. "At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide. I mean, just tearing my Achilles, my mom being sick, my mom passing, my grandma passed a year later, all this in the midst of COVID and at the same time, me going to chemotherapy, me sitting by my mom taking her last breaths wearing the same clothes for three days straight laying on the couch beside her," Wall said.
Wall then added that his support system, specifically the mother of his kids and sons, got him through the darkest timeline of his life. He was also encouraged by his therapist, who helped him understand what was going on in his life. Wall said that the biggest lesson he learned from this tragic time of his life is how tough he was because, after all, tough times make tougher people.
"... I don't like to brag about this, seriously. Like everybody goes through something. We're all going through times, nobody's got it easy, but I don't think a lot of peopel could get through what I went through. And to me to get back on top where I wanna be and seeing the fans still want me to play, having the support from my hometown, this important period means a lot. I went to find a therapist. A lot of people think I don't need help I can get through it at anytime, but you gotta be true to yourself and find out what's best for you," Wall added.
Wall's road to redemption
Wall deserves a lot of praise for opening up about the past 3 brutal years of his life. Nothing seemed to be going right, from his family to his career and the environment he found himself in. But as time passed, Wall remained strong and now finds himself in the best position to succeed. He's poised to play an integral role in this season's Clippers roster, arguably the league's deepest team.
"I think everything I went through and have been through has been a part of God's plan. I feel like he gives his toughest battles to his strongest people, and even though I was in a dark place the last couple years, I'm super excited. You can tell I'm kinda smiling a lot more, all those types of things," Wall said.
Only time will tell if Wall can revive his career by winning his first championship and helping the Clippers (a team that has yet to taste what championship success is like) achieve the most significant milestone in franchise history. The road will be long and arduous, but at the very least, it's inspiring to witness how Wall survived the most tragic time of his life.
