NBA veteran John Wall is set to embark on his first season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Wall will join his friend Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, as he attempts to restart his pro career. He may seem happy now, but over the course of the last two-and-a-half years, the five-time All-Star was in the “darkest place” he’s ever been mentally.
Wall recently talked during a John Wall Foundation event with the Salvation Army. He opened admitted to having suicidal thoughts.
“At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide,” Wall admitted (h/t ClutchPoints) “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 ruptured his Achilles in 2019 while with the Washington Wizards. The injury kept him out of action for nearly two years. Then later in 2019, his mother, Frances Pulley, passed away at the age of 58 from breast cancer. Just as he was set to return to the court at the start of the 2020-21 season, the Wizards traded him to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook.
Wall had been the Wizards’ cornerstone and looked forward to coming back to rejoin his team. However, the team’s plans shifted before his return.
In Houston, Wall played just 40 games in his first season back. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists. Yet, the team went into another direction with a young core after trading away James Harden. In turn, the team essentially paid Wall to stay away from the team during the 2021-22 season.
Wall said he leaned on the support of his family, including the mother of his two sons. He used his sons as inspiration as he worked to get on track.
“I went to find a therapist,” Wall added. “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 recently negotiated his buyout with the Rockets, allowing him to sign a two-year deal worth close to $13.3 million with the Clippers.
With the addition of Wall alongside George and Leonard, the Clippers are expected to contend in the Western Conference after a disappointing 2021-22 season.
It’s been a long road back for Wall. He’s played in just 40 games since December 2018 while going through troubling times in his personal life. Now, Wall has a newfound joy, and looking forward to re-established his playing career in L.A.
