At 13, Donta Hall (Monaco) threw himself headlong into the basket after the loss of his father
As a teenager, the Monegasque Donta Hall (2.06 m, 24 years old) transformed the grief of having lost his father into fuel.
As a child, Donta Hall grew up in Alabama. At the time, he only had eyes for baseball. His father Donald was always at the gym watching him play, until tragedy struck.
“He had a heart attack when the bell went off in my last baseball game. He was seated at the top of the bleachers. After the meeting, I went to the locker room to change before going out. I saw a lot of commotion upstairs. Someone – I don’t know who – came into the locker room and told me I’d better go see my dad upstairs. I go up the stairs and just see a lot of people around him. They didn’t let me go upstairs, they didn’t let me see him. After that, I knew something bad had happened for sure, ”recalled Donta Hall in a video interview with Eurohoops.
Since that day, the youngster has not started training more in basket. This personal tragedy became the defining moment in his life, the catalyst that made him take the basket much more seriously and work hard to become a professional.
“To be honest… before that happened, the basket wasn’t even a chosen one to hope for in life. After what happened in 2010, my whole perspective of the basket changed. It used to be baseball for me. After that, the love for the game just changed for me. I was in the gym probably at least six to seven hours a day. Just because this situation happened. Love of the game. Love of sport, tip. “
After two years spent between the G-League and the NBA and stints with the Detroit Pistons, the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic, Donta Hall discovered the Euroleague this season under the jersey of AS Monaco. The American was one of the great architects of the comeback against CSKA Moscow, compiling 17 points and 11 rebounds with a broken nose. Before this match, he had a long conversation with his mother.
“I spoke to mom for at least 45 minutes before this game. She’s been there ever since what happened in 2010. She’s been there and supported me in every way. Just someone to talk to every day. She makes me smile even when talking to her on the phone. Little things like that mean a lot to me. That feeling before the game, just having that love, that connection… that was good. “
Photo: Donta Hall (Euroleague)