Wall's father died of cancer when he was nine years old. He was raised by his mother, who worked multiple jobs (one at a Days Inn and another driving a school bus, the Washington Post reports).
During the press conference, Wall said some beautiful things about his family (which was sitting in the front row) before breaking down.
Here's the full text of what he said:
"Losing my dad at nine, it made my mom become a woman that I don't think so many women can do in this world, working three or four jobs and having six sisters and two brothers. [I] just had to work extra hard, had to become a man quicker than I wanted to.
"My whole thing is I was put on this Earth to do something and I was blessed to be able to play basketball, but my main thing was to keep striving and be a better person. That's one thing my mom always instilled in me was, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you as a basketball player, they're always going to look at you at a person first.
"You go to my two aunts right there, when I didn't have nothing, I could ask them for anything. You go to my two sister in the front row, they pushed me to do stuff and I'm pushing my youngest sister to finish college. She'd be the first one in my family to do that. Then you go to my mom, words, words can't even explain what, um, ..."
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis finished the speech.
Great moment.
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