Justise Winslow says he once became 'an energy vampire'
“I enjoyed the self pity,” he said. “I kind of made myself into this underdog who was going to stay down, stay in this hole.” In his summers, he tried masking his depression by abusing alcohol, and using women. He would often drink a bottle of wine before embarking on a night of tequila and clubbing, where he would “try to find love in the wrong places.” When he was in season, he became what he called “an energy vampire” — moody and self-absorbed — as he coped with his injuries, first a shoulder injury in Miami, followed by back and hip injuries in Memphis. Through it all, he had become distant and closed to his family. At one point, as he was recovering from shoulder surgery in his second NBA season, his mental state had become so concerning that Winslow’s brother Josh remembers receiving a call from Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.
Source: Jason Quick @ The Athletic
Source: Jason Quick @ The Athletic
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Jason Quick @jwquick
“I made a home in a dark place,” Justise Winslow said. “And I made it comfortable.”
Today, in Portland, the Blazers’ forward has emerged from his darkness glowing with purpose and fulfillment. On @Justise Winslow and his journey to happiness: theathletic.com/4082236/2023/0… – 9:48 AM
“I made a home in a dark place,” Justise Winslow said. “And I made it comfortable.”
Today, in Portland, the Blazers’ forward has emerged from his darkness glowing with purpose and fulfillment. On @Justise Winslow and his journey to happiness: theathletic.com/4082236/2023/0… – 9:48 AM
Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Portland’s Justise Winslow (sprained left ankle) will miss tonight’s game vs. the #Sixers. Gary Payton II (sore right hip adductor) and Jusuf Nurkic (tight left calf) are listed as probable. The Sixers have no injuries to report at this time. – 12:55 PM
Portland’s Justise Winslow (sprained left ankle) will miss tonight’s game vs. the #Sixers. Gary Payton II (sore right hip adductor) and Jusuf Nurkic (tight left calf) are listed as probable. The Sixers have no injuries to report at this time. – 12:55 PM
More on this storyline
“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.” It was a spiral that nearly engulfed Winslow. He brawled with his brother on a Bahamas beach. He cried to his mother on her birthday. He clashed with Spoelstra, and was eventually traded, even though the coach went out of his way to understand and embrace him. That’s why the scene in his kitchen on Dec. 29 resonated so deeply with Winslow. He not only escaped his darkness, but those in his inner circle also say he came out of it a better, and more complete person. -via The Athletic / January 20, 2023
He turned the experiences into a project, blending photos and video into a music video that was shown in Miami’s Art Basel. “That project gave me a lot of fulfillment,” Winslow said. “Emotionally and mental-health wise it gave me people to talk to and open up to … it was a chance to be vulnerable. And I was sober, too. It just shifted my mind, it got me right, it centered me.” It was in that state of mind that he finally approached healing two of his most important relationships: his mother and girlfriend. -via The Athletic / January 20, 2023
Portland Trail Blazers PR: INJURY REPORT 1/19 @Portland Trail Blazers vs. PHI: OUT Winslow (L Ankle Sprain) PROBABLE Nurkic (L Calf Tightness) Payton II (R Hip Adductor Soreness) -via Twitter @TrailBlazersPR / January 18, 2023