After A Very Tough Stretch, Duke Legend Mike Gminski Is On The Rebound

Gminski has had some really tough things to deal with but he has risen above most of it and is thriving once again

We’ve said before that as fans, we tend to see athletes in two-hour increments. We might see some hints of their off-court life, or perhaps some inner turmoil. Think of Grayson Allen reacting on the bench after one of his tripping episodes. It seemed obvious to us that something concerning was going on with Allen. We remember Mike Krzyzewski after that game saying something curious when asked about Allen, that he was responsible for that kid. It was a cagey, cautious response that, to us, indicated much more than we could possibly know.

Which leads us to the great Mike Gminski.

For Duke fans of a certain age, the G-Man remains iconic. He came to Duke when he was just 16 and was immediately dominant. He built a superb career in Durham and went on to an outstanding NBA career as well.

Unbeknownst to most of us, Gminski suffered a fair amount, mostly, but not entirely, from alcohol abuse.

He’s really come to terms with that today but it took him a while to face up to it. DBR friend Kenny Dennard, a former Duke teammate, noticed and urged him to enter rehab. It did not go over well.

We don’t know if alcohol was a factor, but Gminski’s first marriage broke up in the 2000s. He found love again with a much younger woman who had some critical health issues and in 2015 she died in his arms.

Can you imagine? It must have been devastating.

There’s a lovely passage in this article about Gminski visiting with Roy Williams. No one could read that part and not be touched.

Anyway, he eventually came to terms with his addiction and has now been sober since 2020.

We had heard about his struggle with alcohol but only as a news item. Honestly we had no idea how much he had suffered. As we said in the beginning, we see athletes in their primary public capacity and not always a living, breathing wounded human beings. It’s wonderful to know that he’s doing well and we are thrilled that he’s pulled his life together.