‘It’s a message of hope’

The students of Leslie Thomas Junior High got to meet one of Atlantic Canada’s basketball legends last week.

Former Canadian team member Will Njoku came by their school to offer some advice and gave words of encouragement to any students who might be dealing with mental health issues.

“I thought [Njoku] did a fabulous job,” said Cheryl Hartnett, who teaches Grades 6, 7 and 8. “The kids loved it. They were receptive to the message he was sending.”

Njoku, who stands at 6’10” tall, was the first basketball player to get drafted in the NBA straight out of the CIS when he got picked 41st overall by the Indiana Pacers in 1994.

Njoku came to Canada from Ghana at the age of four when he and his family landed in Halifax. He spends a good deal of time in his presentation talking about his childhood in Africa.

“It’s a message of hope,” he says. “My story is about my life experiences and the challenges I had, yet in spite of that, I’ve had many successes as well.”

Njoku was diagnosed with depression at the age of 29. Doctors at the time told him he had depression since the age of six.

“It’s important to know there’s a lot of people around [you who] are dealing with mental health issues who are still successful, functioning people.”

Although never making it to the NBA, Njoku spent a 24-year playing career in basketball leagues all over the world, including Australia, Germany and Portugal.

Njoku is also a member of both the Nova Scotia and Saint Mary’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Njoku now spends his time touring schools internationally as a motivational speaker, something he says he gets quite a kick out of doing.

“I can see them transform right before my very eyes,” said Njoku. “It just takes one, that one kid I see who changes makes it worth it.”

“I make them a little uncomfortable because I want them to push their boundaries a little bit.”