The Washington Wizards held a press conference on Thursday to officially announce John Wall’s five-year, $80 million contract extension with the team. Wall, who lost his father at age 9 and is very close with his mother, aunts and sisters, became overwhelmed at one point during the media session and broke down crying.
He later explained that he was overcome with emotion when he spotted his mother sitting in the audience with tears streaming down her face.
“It was like a breathtaking moment, seeing my mom and seeing everything she worked for,” Wall told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I mean, I do this because I love the game of basketball and I love playing it, but you also do it for her, as a single parent and what she had to do to raise us and I feel I’m fortunate enough to have the opportunity, especially, to take care of her for the rest of her life and do other things in the community.”
That’s a different look from him dancing like cousin Terio. Wall also pledged $1 million to Washington charities after the team announce his max extension. Whether you feel that he has done enough in his first three years in the NBA to warrant an $80 million extension or not, his emotion seemed genuine. I’m sure it was hard for Wall’s family to imagine themselves in this type of situation.
Video via DC Sports Bog
