With his celebrity basketball game coming to a close on Saturday at Tempe Corona del Sol High School, Mack Wilson Sr. soared to grab an alley-oop pass and brought it down with a thunderous dunk.
It brought a roar from the crowd and underscored that Wilson, the Cardinals play-calling linebacker was back.
The ribs injury that sidelined him the second half of the 2025 season was hard, derailing what had been a dream beginning to a career-changing shift.
Wilson had been named a captain. Earned the role of playcaller/green dot. Did a rap video, even. When the season began, he was excellent. Made Christian McCaffery earn his yards in San Francisco. Made a big interception in Indianapolis.
But it what turned out to be the Cardinals' final win of the season in Dallas, Wilson hurt his ribs. And in the end, he never made it back on the field.
"I was in a dark place for sure," Wilson said. "Rib fracture, punctured lung, was in the hospital for three days, tube in my chest. It was tough for me, coming out of the hospital, having to sleep sitting (expletive) upright for three weeks."
Two weeks after the Dallas game, the 49ers were visiting Arizona. At first, Wilson desperately wanted to be back for that game. He and the team quickly found that wasn't going to be possible. The Cardinals told Wilson they were shutting him down for the year.
"It was a learning experience, a humbling experience," Wilson said. "But I took a backseat and I was able to reevaluate my career and my life in general. Remember why I do it. I have some hunger in me and feel this year is going to be one of the best years of my career."
First , however, came Saturday's fun. Once, Wilson's charity game was softball, but now in Arizona, basketball made more sense given the temperature this time of year. Besides, it's basketball.
"I would say 80 percent of the guys in the NFL, their first love was basketball," Wilson said. "Some guys just don't grow as big. Me, I stopped growing my sophomore year of high school, 6-feet, 6-1. So I was like, 'Yeah, I have to give up this basketball.' Started taking football much more serious.
"I feel like football players are some of the best athletes on the planet."
The event benefitted Make a Difference Foundation, which supports youth through mentorship and sports, and Fostering Champions, which supports foster youth transitioning out of the foster care system.
While there were other influencers and players from other teams, the Cardinals were well-represented in the game, with cornerback Will Johnson, safety Budda Baker and cornerback Denzel Burke playing alongside Wilson and linebacker Jordan Burch, safety Rabbit Taylor-Demerson, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and wide receiver Michael Wilson on the other side.
Among the teammates who attended to watch were defensive linemen Walter Nolen III and Dante Stills, offensive lineman Demontrey Jacobs, tight end Elijah Higgins and linebackers Cody Simon and Owen Pappoe. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne performed a rap at halftime.
The end of the game didn't go the way Wilson would've liked. The teams reset late in the game to play the first to 10, and despite efforts to get Wilson to make the game-winning bucket, it ended up being Lions wide receiver Malik Cunningham hitting the shot.
Wilson, however, was still the center of attention, honored for recently graduating from the University of Alabama and appreciated for what he does for his community and the Cardinals.
"He's a Mr. Do-it-all," Simon said. "This event, speaks to how he's there for everybody. He brings the life to the room. And he's a great player. Great teammate, great coach, great person. We definitely missed him in the room last year. This is a big year for him, and he knows that. But he's doing everything possible to make sure he's ready for the moment.
It's back to the football field on Monday, when the Cardinals finally begin their organized team activities and new coach Mike LaFleur can see his players in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work. Wilson is one of his new players that LaFleur has said is "made of the right stuff."
When LaFleur was hired, the first person he heard from after getting the news from owner Michael Bidwill and GM Monti Ossenfort was Wilson.
"Hey coach," Wilson told him. "I'm your green dot."
When the rookies arrives for the first time in Tempe, there was Wilson, dapping up all from first-round pick Jeremiyah Love to the undrafted guys, telling them all, "Let's get it."
"I let guys know my phone is always open," Wilson said. "I've texted every rookie we have drafted since I got here. 'My time is going to end on this field and this will be y'all's building.' Whatever I can do to help them."
That's what Wilson is about. That's why he's glad he's back.
NOLEN CONFIDENT
Defensive tackle Walter Nolen III said it "ain't my time" to play basketball on Saturday, but added he expected to be ready for training camp after hurting his knee late last season.
"I'll be back and better, it's all good," Nolen said.
