Certain players are highly regarded in the NBA draft. Not all of them live up to their potential. A multitude of reasons exist for that. In some cases, most fans would not know about the personal lives and struggles undergone by such prospects. Former Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors player Willie Cauley-Stein opened up about a tough time that happened in his life.
Speaking with Kyle Tucker of The Athletic, the 31-year-old spoke on his journey from a major drug addiction to finding peace during his rehabilitation. Despite the difficulties, he considers himself fortunate to be able to share his experience. Cauley-Stein revealed what happened that led him to go down the dark path.
I could easily be dead…trying to deal with that (passing of his grandmother) and hoop at the same time — for a new team, on a bad deal, and then my wife got pregnant — it was just too many weird things and big changes, and I got on the pain pills trying to just run away from reality.
William Cauley-Stein via The Athletic
Cauley-Stein was tipped to be a top defensive player in the NBA before he took a “leave of absence” from the Mavs in 2021. However, he was eventually waived from the Mavs a year later. In 2021, Cauley-Stein played only 18 games, averaging career lows in points (1.9), rebounds (2.1), and minutes (9.8) while shooting 46% from the field.
Willie Cauley-Stein completed a 65-day rehab stay in 2022 for what he thought was a bootleg Percocet addiction, later finding out he was buying fake pills laced with Fentanyl:
“I could easily be dead… I hear stories all the time about kids going to a party, never taking a drug… pic.twitter.com/FKYheSdbBx
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 29, 2024
By this time, he checked into rehab and took a “personal leave” in 2021 before his exit in 2022 from the NBA. Now, Cauley-Stein has since turned the page. He played 13 games with the Houston Rockets’ G League club in the 2022-23 season. He hopes to make a swift return to the NBA shortly.
Willie Cauley-Stein opened up on his time with the Sacramento Kings
Willie Cauley-Stein has been dealt with a lot lately regarding his personal life and basketball career. The ex-NBA star recently opened up on how he was addicted to drugs and how he missed playing in the NBA. Not only that, Cauley-Stein also spoke to Kyle Tucker regarding his time at the Sacramento Kings back in the NBA, stating “life was good.”
Cauley-Stein had an encouraging start with the Kings, averaging 7.0 points on 56.3 percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 2015-16. During the 2018-19 season (his final season with the team), he appeared in 81 games. The player averaged 11.9 points, a career-high 8.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals. He was tipped to be one of the best upcoming defenders in the league.
In addition, Cauley-Stein had anticipated to be signed to a large, long-term contract with the Kings. However, he ended up joining the Golden State Warriors on a “prove-it” near-minimum deal for 2019-20. After this, everything went downhill for Cauley-Stein in his basketball career and personal life. Now, the player is ready to make a comeback and remains as motivated as ever to prove his worth.
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