After a tumultuous career, Justise Winslow has found a home with the Portland Trail Blazers. The former lottery pick of the Miami Heat has been a jack-of-all-trades player for the team, filling every role possible as they fight for a playoff spot. It seems like he's currently in a good place. However, this wasn't always the case. In a heartbreaking story, Justise Winslow and his brother Josh revealed the struggles the former experienced in his career.
The story talks about Justise Winslow's struggles with alcoholism and mental health, and how it was affected by his injuries and overall play. The Blazers forward' brother talked about a call he got from his former coach Erik Spoelstra back when he was playing for the Heat that summed up his mental health at the time.
“Spo was the first person who reached out to me,” Josh said. “He was like, ‘I FaceTimed Justise today and it looked like he hadn’t shaved for weeks, or left his room.’ And everybody on the team was like, ‘That’s not the guy we drafted.’ It got dark for him, for sure.”
Justise Winslow had a promising start to his career in Miami, but injuries derailed the first few years of his career. Evidently, that sent the former first-round pick into a depressive state. Winslow developed destructive tendencies, constantly going to nightclubs to sleep with different women and get drunk.
Thankfully, Winslow was able to find his footing again thanks to Erik Spoelstra, his brother, and his own efforts. Now, he's continuing his redemption tour. He's currently dealing with an ankle injury, but he's definitely more equipped mentally to deal with this setback.
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