Though the Toronto Raptors roster at NBA Summer League is filled mostly with new names looking to earn a spot for the upcoming NBA season, one of the few familiar faces on the squad is also looking to make an impression in Vegas.
D.J. Wilson signed a multi-year deal with the Raptors last week after appearing in four games with the team in 2021-22, averaging 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 13.5 minutes while signing three separate 10-day contracts.
The new deal was a nice reward for a former first-round pick (17th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft) who has had to battle some adversity to get where he is with the Raptors today. Wilson, who has also suited up with the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets in his first five seasons in the league, suffered a lower back fracture as a junior in high school that nearly derailed his basketball dream.
Sportsnet spoke to Wilson in Vegas about NBA Summer League, his experience signing multiple short contracts with the Raptors and the injury that almost left him paralyzed.
(Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.)
SN: You recently signed a multi-year deal with the Raptors. What was the communication and conversation like with the team leading up to you putting ink to paper?
Wilson: It was really just them telling me to continue doing what I was doing. It wasn't really nothing less, nothing more than that. I knew [what] I was capable of. I knew what I could bring to the table. So, it was just a matter of doing that day in and day out. And they were happy with the result. I'm happy to be here. I love it here.
You really had to grind it out last season, signing three 10-day contracts with the Raptors and going back and forth in between that time with the Oklahoma City Blue. There is a lot of uncertainty with all of that and a lot of different players and programming surrounding those moves. What was it like mentally for you last season?
You got to stay positive. That's the only way I feel like you can really fight through it. And for me, I love this game and it’s just all I ever wanted to do. So, it wasn't all that hard for me considering how much I love the game, and how much I want to be out here and play. When you love the game that much, fighting through adversity and persevering makes it much easier.
You’re entering your sixth season in the NBA and are here at Summer League again, which I know is a bit different for you. What kind of expectations do you put on yourself when you come to Summer League and still trying to find a spot within the Raptors rotation?
I think, for me, it's just continuing to play my game at a consistent level and then get acclimated more to the system here and being around the guys, being around the coaches more. Pick their brains and try to pick up as much as I can from the coaches, from the players because come training camp, come pre-season, it's all going to matter.
This year marks 10 years since you suffered a lower back fracture. When you look back at that time of having to wear a back brace for several months and being sidelined from what you love to do, does it make moments like signing with the Raptors a bit more special?
Yeah, it was quite an experience. That was probably one of the lowest points of my basketball career. And then for me to do it again the year after, it was kind of a whole another case again. So, it means a lot for me to be out here, for me to play the game that I love at the highest level possible. It just shows the fight that I had and have for the game and that it's paying off.
When it happened back-to-back like that, was there a moment where you thought you might not be able to play basketball again?
You know, quite frankly, I didn't know what to expect. I didn’t know really what was happening until I got a diagnosis and the doctor pretty much told me, ‘You need to shut it down for a while and wear a back brace 23 hours out the day for six months, or else you might be paralyzed.’ And to go through that twice in back-to-back years, it was quite an experience. But it was a blessing in disguise. I feel like it taught me a lot and I feel like fighting through last year, situations like that prior kind of made that easier.
