Revealed: Why Magnay almost walked away from basketball

When Will Magnay went down with a serious foot injury in 2023, he feared his basketball career might be over.

At just 25, he had already played in the NBA and was considered one of the NBL’s premier big men.

But that’s the brutal side of sport. Rehab is isolating. Hours alone in the gym, relentless stretches, slow strides, and constant monitoring, all while your teammates are out doing what you love most: playing the game.

“Funnily enough … when I hurt my foot in Spain, I did my Lisfranc. I had mentally decided this was my last year playing professionally,” Magnay revealed in a chat with Pete Hooley in Las Vegas.

It was a pivotal moment for Magnay. He had already accomplished more than most, yet his ceiling remained sky-high. Players with his combination of size, skill and upside are a rare breed.

“Then I was like … I'm just going to have fun,” he said.

“I'm going to go out there and rip in and just enjoy the boys and enjoy the team.

“At that time, I was like, my body's not holding up, I can't do it. But I think it led me to say, if I'm giving it one last shot, I'm giving it one last shot.

“I really locked in and did my foot right and got good. My body felt good and it just went up from there. That mental shift of ‘I don't have to do this, I want to do this’ clicked.

“Ever since then, it's been a lot clearer for me that I really do enjoy coming in and working and the little maintenance and rehab stuff. I don't mind doing it as much anymore because I get to do the best job in the world and have fun doing it.”

Serious injuries are every athlete's nightmare, but for Magnay, the shift in mindset sparked by his setback has fuelled some of the best form of his career.

There have been knocks and niggles since, as is expected for a 208-centimetre big man constantly battling in the paint. But remarkably, just a couple of years after nearly calling time on his professional career, he's back in the frame for an NBA contract.

The Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly weighing up signing the now 27-year-old, who impressed in his Summer League return on Wednesday, Australian time, after recovering from a wrist injury.

“The conversations have all been positive and I think if I can just go out and sort of do what I do on a nightly basis in the NBL, then I think I'm putting myself in a good position to maybe earn a contract or maybe not, but if not, I'll just be happy with where I'm at,” Magnay said.

“I just try and do my best every day, put my best foot forward.

“If opportunities pop up like this ... they (the Grizzlies) invited me in early before Summer League to help me with my rehab and I was like, why not? I'm going to be kicking myself in 10 years if I turn that down. If that eventuates into something, cool. If not, cool. I'm still in a really good spot in my career. I guess it's nice to be highly regarded. I still feel like I do a very simple job. I just play hard and I do it well, obviously.

“I just attack opportunities when they come and whatever comes out of that next, I'll attack with two hands again and keep going forward.”

>> Magnay delivers in first Vegas test

If a deal with Memphis materialises, Magnay could reunite with fellow Australian Boomer Jock Landale.

“That would be exciting,” he added.

“Obviously I played behind him in Paris (Olympics). I think we're not too dissimilar in the way we play. He's probably more offensive minded and I'm a bit more defensive minded. But I think the way we can both affect games is similar. Being able to play under him in an NBA organisation would be pretty cool.”