Mick Unplugged
Wally Green | Overcoming Adversity: Wally Green on Life, Ping Pong, and Pickleball
Mon, 18 Nov 2024
Welcome back to another gripping episode of Mick Unplugged! Today, we have a remarkable guest joining us: Wally Green, a name synonymous with resilience and transformation in the world of table tennis. Once self-dubbed the worst player in the pro circuit, Wally went from being a struggling athlete to an international table tennis professional, with a journey marked by profound personal growth and unexpected turns. In this episode, we'll unravel Wally’s story—from his challenging youth marred by domestic violence and gang involvement to his eventual rise in the table tennis world, fuelled by sheer determination and the guidance of unexpected mentors. We'll dive into the pivotal moments that defined his path, including a life-altering opportunity in Germany and a surprising mentorship that helped steer him away from a troubled life. Wally also shares his candid thoughts on the sport of pickleball, confronting its growing popularity and the arrogance he perceives among its players. Despite retiring from professional table tennis, Wally’s competitive spirit remains unshakable, as he now sets his sights on proving his prowess in pickleball. Join our host, Mick Hunt, as we explore the depths of Wally’s multifaceted journey, including the mental fortitude required in ping pong, the significance of mentors, and the vital importance of asking for help. Stay tuned, as this episode promises an inspiring and raw portrayal of a unique athlete’s relentless quest for self-improvement and acceptance. Takeaways: · Mindset plays a crucial role in achieving success in sports and life. · Ping pong provided Wally with an escape from his troubled past. · Mentorship can change the trajectory of a person's life. · Overcoming adversity is a key theme in Wally's story. · Asking for help is essential for personal growth. Sound Bites: · "I was living in the street for a year." · "Ping pong is what saved my life." · "I’m going to prove everybody wrong." · "If you need help, don't be afraid to ask." Connect and Discover Instagram: Instagram.com/wallygreennyc Tik Tok: @wallygreennycofficial Youtube: wallygreennyc X: @wallygreennyc See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapter 1: Why does Wally Green dislike pickleball?
I'm probably the biggest hater of pickleball, especially online. Online, all the big pickleball pages, they all know me. They all know me because I'm always in the comments, just like kind of shitting on the sport.
And the reason why I was like that was because... Not only am I going to compete, not only am I going to dominate, but I'm going to be the best. Not one of the best, but the best. What was that journey like, man?
I was never the best in the world, right? As a matter of fact... I was probably, when I started playing pro, the worst in the world. By far the worst in the world. What's one thing that you wanna message out to the world today? One of the most important tips. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask, right? It's very difficult to do everything on your own. And then more importantly,
Welcome to Mick Unplugged, where we ignite potential and fuel purpose. Get ready for raw insights, bold moves, and game-changing conversations. Buckle up. Here's Mick.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. And today we have a phenomenal guest. We're talking about a world-renowned athlete and ambassador for the sport of table tennis. Known for his electrifying performances and inspiring journey from the streets of Brooklyn to international acclaim.
His dedication, resilience, and ability to connect with people of all backgrounds have made him a true icon in the world of sports. Please join me in welcoming the dynamic, the inspiring, the transformative, the wall breaker himself, Mr. Wally Green. Wally, how are you doing today, brother? I'm great. Thanks for having me. Absolutely, man. So we're about to start where we were talking offline.
And I said, Wally, when I was introduced to you, I was like, wait, I've seen that guy. Because there's not a lot of people that look like me and Wally that you see on TV or out doing table tennis, right? So Wally, man, tell me how you went from Brooklyn to picking up table tennis.
Oh, man, it's pretty crazy because I actually hated it. I hated the sport. Like, they had it in my high school. I used to make fun of all the kids that played it. Like, at the time, I was playing football. I played basketball for the wrestling team. And I would see it in the lunchroom, and I would make fun of everyone. I'd be like, look at these kids with their short shorts and a stick.
Like, it was just funny, you know. for me to see. I started shooting pool one year. And while I was shooting pool, I got hustled for a little bit of money. I got upset, took my pool stick, slammed it on the table, and it shattered. It broke. It just shattered. And I was so angry. And back then, you know, I used to take everything that was bothering me, I would take out on other people.
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Chapter 2: What was Wally Green's journey from being a beginner to a professional table tennis player?
I don't remember, nine tables, maybe eight ping pong tables. They had a section that was just ping pong. And, you know, guys were standing back, making a lot of noise and ripping these balls back and forth. And the craziest thing about it was, is that every person who happened to be playing that day was black. And then I was like, wait a minute, black people play this?
I was shocked because for me, only Asians played ping pong. And I was like, what? So it was like, wait a minute, black people play this? And I saw them playing. And then immediately my mind changed. And I was like, yo, I want to play this too. And then that's how I started. You know, that was the first start of me touching a paddle and trying to learn the sport.
That's amazing, man. And I'm going to say you conquered it, right? Because knowing Wally, like I know, when you put your mind to something, you don't just go like halfway in, like you were going to be the best. So what was that journey like from starting at the clubs, the table tennis or ping pong clubs to saying, not only am I going to compete,
Not only am I going to dominate, but I'm going to be the best. Not one of the best, but the best. What was that journey like, man?
It was crazy, right? Because I was never the best in the world, right? As a matter of fact, I was probably, when I started playing pro, the worst in the world. I was by far the worst in the world. And it was... Not because I didn't have the skill to do it. I just had the wrong mindset. Like I was a great athlete. I played every sport. I got MVP in every sport I ever played, every sport.
And so I just figured, you know what? I'm going to be great at this too. And I'm going to beat everyone. And that was my mindset. But I wasn't really respecting the sport and respecting the people that actually put, you know, years into the sport since three years old. Because of that, I would go play these tournaments.
Like I would, you know, leave America, go to China and lose like 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-1. Maybe don't get five points in one match. And my tournament would be over. So I just flew from America to China. And one day, that's it. I was done. And this happened for a long time. Like I was just losing. And it wasn't I couldn't play. I could play as practicing every day.
You know, I was practicing in different countries. But my mindset was wrong. I was thinking that because I'm such a great athlete, I should be great in this. And because I started to believe that I wasn't learning, right? I wasn't learning why I was losing. I wasn't learning. why, you know, the score was 11-1 or 11-2. And then I started to try to figure out how could I get better, right?
Because people would come up to me and they would say, you know, you should be playing basketball. Like, a lot of people tell me that. Like, you should be rapping. I mean, I was doing some hip hop back then. You should be doing this. And there's, you should be doing everything except this sport. Like, this is not, they were telling me this is not for you. Like, and people were telling me this.
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Chapter 3: How did Wally Green overcome his troubled childhood?
Chapter 4: What mental strategies did Wally employ to improve in table tennis?
And I was like, oh, my God, man, that's why none of my family never came to my house. Right. But yeah. So, you know, I always thought I wanted to protect her. And I had an incident in school when I was about 14. I got caught with a loaded weapon in school. I got into a lot of trouble because I had other problems, other priors before.
the judge was trying to really like he was trying to really put me away you know they were they were trying to give me 10 years in jail like from juvenile to adult and um i had one thing going for me and that one thing going was i always have my schoolwork done which is wild but there's a reason i have my schoolwork done was because i needed those sport teams and without good grades
You can't be on the team. And I needed those teams because those teams made me less violent. And I knew that. So I had people do the work for me for protection. I had people doing my work. I had people taking notes. I was on point because I needed those teams to just keep me from doing something even worse. So anyway, my mom convinced the judge that they would send me to boarding schools.
They would send me away to Africa. So I got sent away, like away, away. And when I got there, you know, it was me trying to find myself all again, over again. It was me trying to prove myself again. And it was kind of weird because I thought, you know, if I go to Africa, then it's gonna be easy peasy, right? Everyone's black like me, it's gonna be chill, but it wasn't the case at all.
It was the opposite. When I tell people this and they go, how is that possible? When I went there, I think the most racism I ever felt was there because for them, I wasn't the real black. They would call me in their language, the kid who eats butter, try to say I'm soft. So I spent a lot of time fighting. I spent a lot of time trying now because I had no gang members with me. It was just me.
I spent a lot of time trying to find myself again. And I joined this crazy military thing there called Man O' War. And Man O' War, it's like, I do not explain it. It's like Boy Scouts times 10,000. Yeah. Like they make you do stuff like just standing straight up and falling. It's wild. But that made me much stronger. And that made me think or know that I can finally protect my mom.
So I came back to America when I was 16. And an incident happened where my stepfather was choking my mom. And I just looked over. And when I looked over, my stepfather says, what are you looking at? If you look over here, you're going to get the same thing. And I just lost it. Like, I don't even remember running out the house. I just kind of like just lost it, ran out the house.
I went and got a gun, came back in the house, and I put it to his face. And I was going to kill my stepfather. And my mom called the police. And my mom's exact words were, you guys need to hurry. My son's trying to kill my husband. And when she said that, like, I can't explain it. I was just empty.
It was like the ultimate betrayal that the person that I wanted to protect since I was a kid turned around and said this. And I took the gun and I put it to my mom's face. And I was going to end both their lives that day. That day, it was it. I was going to end both their lives. I was shaking. I was crying. And I was going to end both their lives. But then I remembered something.
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Chapter 5: How did Wally's experiences in Africa shape his character?
That's what I'm talking about. And that's why I play this sport. The swag is coming to pickleball.
Yeah, it is. And it's coming home.
The swag. Wally G is coming. Wally G is coming. That's what I'm talking about, man. I got to introduce you. I don't know if you know or remember Hall of Famer Rick Barry from basketball. He did the underhand free throws. So he is now a pickleball legend. He is a champion in pickleball. We were just talking the other day, and he is like... Just casually. Yeah, I'm like four-time champion.
I was like, what? So those competitive juices don't leave. Wally, man, I know you're so busy. I appreciate you taking some time with the viewers and listeners. What's one tip that you want to leave the viewers and listeners with? I don't care if it's sports, if it's life. What's one thing that you want to message out to the world today?
I think this is probably one of the most important tips. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask. It's very difficult to do everything on your own. And then more importantly, if help is offered to you, take it. You never know where that help is going to get you. If I didn't take the help that was offered to me, I wouldn't be here talking to you.
I would be dead or in jail, just like my stepfather wanted. So yeah, if people offer you help, you definitely should take it. Don't try to do everything yourself.
I love it. I love it, brother, man. So where can people follow you and find you?
On Instagram, Instagram, Wally Green, NYC. That's the best place right now.
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Chapter 6: What was the pivotal moment that changed Wally's path?
Chapter 7: How has Wally Green's perspective on mentorship evolved?
Chapter 8: What lessons can we learn from Wally's story of resilience?
I'm probably the biggest hater of pickleball, especially online. Online, all the big pickleball pages, they all know me. They all know me because I'm always in the comments, just like kind of shitting on the sport.
And the reason why I was like that was because... Not only am I going to compete, not only am I going to dominate, but I'm going to be the best. Not one of the best, but the best. What was that journey like, man?
I was never the best in the world, right? As a matter of fact... I was probably, when I started playing pro, the worst in the world. By far the worst in the world. What's one thing that you wanna message out to the world today? One of the most important tips. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask, right? It's very difficult to do everything on your own. And then more importantly,
Welcome to Mick Unplugged, where we ignite potential and fuel purpose. Get ready for raw insights, bold moves, and game-changing conversations. Buckle up. Here's Mick.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. And today we have a phenomenal guest. We're talking about a world-renowned athlete and ambassador for the sport of table tennis. Known for his electrifying performances and inspiring journey from the streets of Brooklyn to international acclaim.
His dedication, resilience, and ability to connect with people of all backgrounds have made him a true icon in the world of sports. Please join me in welcoming the dynamic, the inspiring, the transformative, the wall breaker himself, Mr. Wally Green. Wally, how are you doing today, brother? I'm great. Thanks for having me. Absolutely, man. So we're about to start where we were talking offline.
And I said, Wally, when I was introduced to you, I was like, wait, I've seen that guy. Because there's not a lot of people that look like me and Wally that you see on TV or out doing table tennis, right? So Wally, man, tell me how you went from Brooklyn to picking up table tennis.
Oh, man, it's pretty crazy because I actually hated it. I hated the sport. Like, they had it in my high school. I used to make fun of all the kids that played it. Like, at the time, I was playing football. I played basketball for the wrestling team. And I would see it in the lunchroom, and I would make fun of everyone. I'd be like, look at these kids with their short shorts and a stick.
Like, it was just funny, you know. for me to see. I started shooting pool one year. And while I was shooting pool, I got hustled for a little bit of money. I got upset, took my pool stick, slammed it on the table, and it shattered. It broke. It just shattered. And I was so angry. And back then, you know, I used to take everything that was bothering me, I would take out on other people.
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