If you were to ask the common basketball fan what their thoughts of John Wall today, they might chuckle. They might might fun of him for making $170 million over the next four years, all to sit on the bench because of tearing his Achilles tendon due to him falling walking around his house. But they wouldn’t chuckle if they heard his story. A story all about “Crazy-J.”
He was a young kid in Raleigh, North Carolina who always heard the line, “You’ll be just like your dad.”
Eight years before John was born, his father was charged with second degree murder and sentenced to an indefinite amount of years behind bars. Throughout John’s childhood he could only visit his dad in prison, but when he was 9 years old his dad was released from jail due to a diagnoses of liver cancer. John’s last and one of his only memories of his dad was seeing him being carried out of the hotel room in which he passed away in. He kept the jersey that his dad was wearing on that day to remind himself what not to be in life, yet his anger carried him down a similar path which came with the nickname of “Crazy-J.”
The absence of a father figure and the added on emotional stress caused himself to be surrounded with the wrong people and some costly decisions. He was commonly found at the local Boys and Girls Club getting in fights. He was constantly getting kicked out of sports camps. When he was 13 years old he was breaking into cars and stealing them. He was even involved in gun fights that could have easily ended his life. He was just another kid who seemingly had no hope of getting out of the despair, until he opened his ears to the advice of his mom.
“Don’t be like your father, you’re better than that.”
Despite accomplishing on serious improvements to his behavior, his troubles lingered as he was cut from his high school team as a Sophomore for his reputation throughout town. Because of this news, John transferred to a christian academy to finish his high school career. His new coach was impressed, but emphasized that John was being recruited because he was simply an “ass.” Wall’s talents landed him a roster spot at the University of Kentucky; however, Coach Calipari had his concerns.
The summer leading up to his freshman year of college, the coaching staff demanded he take summer classes while attending workouts as a trial run. Wall thrived. He finished that semester with a 4.0 and impressed staff and administration. This success continued on the court in his first year where he averaged 16 points per game and earned the Freshman of the Year Award. After leading Kentucky to a 29-2 record, he was selected #1 overall in the NBA draft.
John Wall is now an NBA superstar, with a contract worth 171 million over the next 4 years. His presence has been felt for the Washington Wizards despite injuries. He has averaged 19 points per game and 9.2 assists per game while being named to the All-Star team on 5 occasions. His presence has also been felt off the court. The John Wall Foundation has donated school supplies and backpacks to underprivileged kids back in his hometown of Raleigh North Carolina over the past 4 years. His roots could’ve led him down a path of despair, yet his character has brought him out of tough situations and into stardom. Stardom; however, is never the end goal. When John looks back on the pain of of his support system and his behavior, he has gratitude. This gratitude was shared in a letter he wrote to his dad in 2018 furthering the message to cherish your hardships because they will help you in the future.