Former NBA Player Charlie Villanueva ‘Thankful to See Another Day’ Following Alleged Hit-and-Run Accident

Mar. 15, 2025

Charlie Villanueva photographed on July 16, 2015 in Westwood, California.Photo:Jason Merritt/Getty

Jason Merritt/Getty

Former NBA forward Charlie Villanueva is “happy to be alive” following an alleged hit-and-run car accident.

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The 39-year-old, who played in the NBA for over a decade on various teams before retiring at theend of the 2016 basketball season, told his followers he had a sore neck, sore back and a “messed up car” but he and his wife Lisette “Lala” Villanueva, whom he jointly posted with, were “thankful to see another day.”

“Our lives can’t be replaced, but the vehicle can,” he continued.

Charlie has two children from a previous relationship who were not mentioned in his post detailing the accident.

Lala and Charlie were marriedon July 24, 2021, in Dallas, Texas, after he proposed to her on New Year’s Eve 2020.Per her LinkedIn,Lala is a former sports reporter who currently serves as a realtor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Prior to the accident, Charlie posted playful videos on his Instagram telling his followers the best gifts husbands and wives can get each other.

The first videowas captioned “Best Christmas gift a wife can get a husband” and featured Lala presenting Charlie with a gift wrapped in paper and a bow that eventually revealed a sandwich. Inthe next videofor the best Christmas gift a husband could give a wife, Charlie curled up in a big decorative sack and hid himself under his Christmas tree.

source: people.com