RALEIGH, N.C. – Frances Pulley, the mother of Raleigh native and Washington Wizards guard John Wall, died on Thursday after a battle with cancer, according to tweets from Wall’s former college coach and the Washington Wizards.
- John Wall's mother, Frances Pulley, died on Thursday
- Pulley battled cancer
- Wall played high school basketball at Garner and Word of God
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari praised Pulley and Wall.
“His beloved mother, Frances Pulley, passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer,” Calipari tweeted. “The job she did raising John into the man he is today – incredible. Everything John is today – humble, a servant leader, a man of God – he got from her.”
The Wizards said that Pulley would always be a part of their “#DCFamily.”
Wall grew up in Raleigh and played high school basketball at Garner and Word of God Christian Academy. He was drafted by the Wizards with the first pick of the 2010 NBA draft after spending one season at Kentucky.
Wall has been recovering after rupturing an Achilles tendon earlier this year.