Houston Rockets star Christian Wood has revealed that his girlfriend left him the same night he went undrafted as a 19-year-old in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Christian Wood is enjoying life in Houston now but the story was different five years ago in 2015. The then 19-year-old sophomore out of UNLV had anticipated hearing his name announced during the 2015 NBA Draft, and later celebrating with loved ones at Caesar’s Palace. However, things did not pan out well, and it was a night to forget for young Christian Wood who went undrafted. 

In an interview with The Ringer, Christian Wood spoke about his career so far and the horror night in which he went undrafted five years ago. Wood was pegged as a late first-rounder during the 2015 NBA Draft by most mocks, but those hopes soon faded as he went undrafted. He had rented an event space at Caesar’s Palace and had invited a few dozen family and friends. His worst fears came true when he went uncalled in the second round. 

And while Christian Wood went undrafted, his despair that night reached a tipping point when he was dumped by his girlfriend. Wood reveals that he dropped her off at the airport after the draft and never saw her again. In the years that followed, Wood became an NBA journeyman and even signed with the Chinese Basketball Association in 2017. He was later waived by the Fujian Sturgeons which Wood reveals was a ‘new low’. 

Five years since the fateful night saw Christian Wood undrafted and dumped by his girlfriend, the 25-year-old has redeemed himself and has become one of the rising stars in the league. After bouncing around and playing limited minutes for the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks, Wood finally had a chance to make his mark in Detroit. Wood averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 62 games for the Pistons but was eventually let off.

Christian signed with Houston Rockets in the off-season, signing a three-year, $41 million contract. While it is still early days, the 25-year-old has already shown signs that the Christian Wood contract could be a steal by Houston, having averaged 27.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 40.0 MPG for a depleted Rockets squad.

Source: Republic World