Very often, when they are victims of serious injuries (cruciate ligaments, Achilles tendon, etc.), NBA players contact each other for advice. A brotherhood of seriously injured exists and each new player hit can rely on those who have been there. For Jordan Walsh, it was both simpler and more complicated.
The new Celtics player (38th choice of the Draft) is indeed affected by alopecia, which precipitates hair loss, which we have known better in France for a few months with the example of Édouard Philippe.
In the NBA, only one name emerges when we talk about this disease: Charlie Villanueva, former player of Milwaukee, Dallas and Detroit, whose career includes 656 matches and 10.4 points on average.
How to get in touch? Jordan Walsh’s uncle happens to know Ramon Sessions, who played with Charlie Villanueva for the Bucks. The former leader therefore recalled his former teammate to discuss Jordan Walsh.
“He was struggling with alopecia and his parents were looking for answers. And I happened to be 30 minutes from their house”remembers the old interior for The Athletic. “I told him above all that he had this disease, but that this disease did not possess him. He was in control whether his hair came back or not. He had to stay positive and use that as motivation. »
A passage of witness
The two men will therefore forge a bond and the former NBA player will become a mentor for the youngster from Arkansas on his way to the Big League, in particular to break down mental barriers.
“He helped me a lot, and more than anything off the pitch. In my head and for my confidence. He knows what I’m going through. I can tell him everything, because he has known all that. He gave me very good advice. I will keep in touch with him“, says Jordan Walsh.
“No matter where you are in the Draft, if you do things right, you can stay in the league for a long time,” continues Charlie Villanueva. “It is now that the work begins for him to show his qualities and what he is capable of. »
Nevertheless, despite their unique bond, the two players are very different and want to make it known.
“It’s crazy that many compare us because we are fair-skinned with alopecia. I want Jordan to be himself. Even if it’s cool to observe his path because I pass the baton to him »explains the former Mavericks. “We have points in common, but we are not the same”, insists Jordan Walsh. “I have to be Jordan, I have to be myself and not another. »
