Justise Winslow Has Walked A Dark Road, But He’s Back In Daylight Now

It’s easy to look at NBA highlights and think: man, those guys have it made. They’re rich, they do unbelievably cool things on video and the world is their oyster.

Unless of course it’s not.

Some guys just have a lot to deal with. Remember Brian Williams, aka Bison Dele? He was massively talented but didn’t want to play anymore and decided to sail the Pacific where his brother apparently killed him.

Closer to home, Jason Williams saw his NBA career end early due to a motorcycle accident and dealt with enormous depression and suicidal thoughts. Cherokee Parks, who grew up with a certain level of instability, was in the NBA and found himself dreaming...of a 9-5 job.

And then there’s former Duke star Justise Winslow.

In this article in The Athletic, we learn that Winslow has had a very difficult time in the NBA.

Suffice it to say that he has had to come to terms with a lot of personal and family issues and that he, by his own admission - and those close to him saw it clearly - was in a very dark place.

He’s found his way back to the light, clearly and seems to have found things that tie him more firmly to life, not least of all a newborn son named Niko.

We link to The Athletic periodically because some articles are not paywalled. This one appears to be, but we linked it anyway, for a couple of reasons. First, it’s worth your time. Second, some of you, we’re sure, subscribe. And third, for those of you who use Apple News, it’s available there. And fourth, if you don’t subscribe, you can get a three-month test drive which means you can read it for free. Just remember to cancel if you’re not going to keep the service.