John Wall Says He Almost Had His Foot Amputated After Infection From Surgeries

In a new piece he penned for The Players’ Tribune, Los Angeles Clippers point guard John Wall revealed he almost had to have his foot amputated.

Breaking down some of the struggles he’s been through during his time in the NBA, he said that he found himself in a place “that was so dark that suicide felt like the only option.” As for what led to him feeling such a way, he said it all came to a head when he suffered various injuries that required surgery.

“In the span of three years, I went from being on top of the world to losing damn near everything I ever cared about,” he wrote. “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.”

Wall was forced to go through with a season-ending surgery on his left heel in January 2019, which later developed into an infection. He then suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon after falling in his home, and the whole situation left him unable to play for 12 months. His mother, Frances Pulley, died after a short battle with breast cancer in December, 2019. Wall did not return to playing until after the conclusion of the 2019-20 NBA season.

Elsewhere in the feature, Wall spoke about his experiences with therapy following his mother’s death. “I still talk to my therapist to this day, and I’m still unpacking a lot of the crazy shit that I’ve been through. I’m never going to stop doing it, because I really don’t know when the darkness could come back," he added. "Right now, though? I’m feeling better than I’ve felt in years.”