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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Justin Quinn

Jordan Walsh on how Dallas Mavericks star Charlie Villanueva changed his mind about their alopecia

Despite being a skilled player, new Boston Celtics forward Jordan Walsh faced mockery from fans due to his alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss all over the body.

However, his life changed when he saw a video of retired NBA player Charlie Villanueva, who also had alopecia, discussing how he overcame the disease to have a successful career.

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Via an uncle who knew one of the former UConn star’s teammates, the pair met, according to an article by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and Mike Vorkunov. “(Walsh) was struggling with Alopecia and the parents were looking for answers,” Villanueva said. “Lo and behold, I was 30 minutes away.”

“He was really helpful, more than anything off the court,” Walsh said. “Just with my head, my confidence, just stuff like that, because he understands what I’ve been through. I can tell him everything, and he’s been through the same thing. He’s got great advice.”

“One thing I told him is to make sure that you have Alopecia and Alopecia doesn’t have you,” explained Villanueva. “He’s got to have control of this disease, regardless if your hair is coming back or not. Stay positive and use it as motivation to get to where you want.”

“I felt like I needed to be in control of my life and don’t let Alopecia be the thing where it quite literally takes control of me and affects the way I move on a daily basis,” Walsh said. “I’m just expecting to go in and work as hard as I can. I want everything I do to contribute to winning this next banner for the Celtics.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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