The dark years of Justise Winslow

Although he was drafted 10th in 2015 after winning the NCAA national title with Duke, Justise Winslow (26) Had a rocky start in the NBA with mixed stints in Miami, Memphis and the Clippers.

A year into Portland, he admits he has reached a certain level of maturity, but admits to a difficult period marked by the torments of alcohol and the nightlife. Against the backdrop of latent depression…

Failures of justice

“I liked feeling sorry for myself. I had more or less turned myself into this loser who would always be at the bottom of the hole.he reveals in The Athletic.

His brother Josh confirms it. In that case, he was alerted by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who was surprised to see Winslow unshaven and in coal tar after a video conference.

“Spo was the first to contact me. He had just received Justise and it looked like he hadn’t shaved or left his room in weeks. Everyone in the team was wondering where the young player we were developing was. He had definitely fallen to the dark side. »

Justise Winslow, who suffered a shoulder injury in his second season, will start the right way. Both troubled by certain revelations within his family, a family that fell apart after his parents divorced when he was just three years old, he slowly sank into a dangerous regime of evenings, alcohol and women in the Bermuda Triangle. . To download in Miami…

“Being such a highly drafted lottery pick, there were a lot of expectations. I certainly wasn’t the savior, but D. Wade was basically going to pass the torch to me in Miami. It suited me and my family because there were so many positive things to take away from D. Wade, performances, sponsors, events…”

4 hour fight against his brother…

But Justise Winslow, who was on his own during his injury days, admits he made a mistake. He had isolated himself because he was very egocentric and self-absorbed.

“I’ve done things I’m not proud of. In my personal relationships, with my family or when I was isolating myself… There were days when I didn’t want to get out of bed. With booze, plus off-season evenings, I was on a slippery slope. I had created a routine and I was stuck in it, it almost consumed me. »

So much so that on one beautiful summer day, two brothers fought for a long time with his brother Josh on the paradise island for a week. Justise Winslow explains that the Homeric conflict lasted almost four hours, with breaks of course…

“Without shirts, there was sand in our teeth, mouth, and hair. Scratches, bruises, bumps… In fact, we were trying to put ourselves down, screaming, shouting, swearing! »Juste Winslow remembers. “We were taking a break” Josh adds. “I told him to go have a drink, but I wasn’t done with him. I think he was in pain the next day. »

The battle served as a wake-up call for the two brothers, who knew their lives were derailed. Josh entered rehab to treat his marijuana addiction. Justice was indeed aware of his bad days. A cathartic duel.

With some memorable experiences along the way, including getting back in the saddle with surfers Laird Hamilton (Joakim Noah’s great friend) and Erik Spoelstra, Justise Winslow has found more peace and stability in his life. Meanwhile, the versatile winger who is a father is more compact than ever.

“I look at his stats after every game” Erik Spoelstra admits. “Because he’s one of the guys I’m going to keep watching. Players all have their own trajectory and it is never linear. »