John Wall was once one of the more exciting figures in basketball, and a comeback to the NBA would please many. He played just one season collegiately at Kentucky, but during that year, he popularized the ‘John Wall Dance’. He showed enough in his one year there to be taken with the first overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft.
While Wall was a standout for many seasons in the NBA, the end of his career didn’t go how he wanted it to. The 33-year-old Wall is hoping for another chance to get back into the league.
Five-Time NBA All-Star Point Guard Eyeing An NBA Comeback
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Appearing on Paul George’s ‘Podcast P with Paul George’, Wall made it clear that he wants back in the NBA. He made it known that he’ll come back in any role, even the ‘Udonis Haslem role’.
John Wall says on @PodcastPShow that he still wants to continue NBA career
“I’m willing to accept any role it is to be on a team… whether it’s playing, not playing, being in a Udonis Haslem role. Anything like that, I just want to be in a NBA jersey again.” https://t.co/ODlUPVhAbB
— Law Murray 🛝 (@LawMurrayTheNU) June 24, 2024
The end of the six-foot-three Wall’s time in the league didn’t quite go smoothly. He last played 34 games for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022-23 season. He was productive in his reserve role (averages of 11.4 points and 5.2 assists). Unfortunately, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in February of 2023, a team he previously played for. Houston released him a few days later, and he hasn’t resurfaced yet.
His time with the Rockets couldn’t get much worse. In the 2020-21 season, Wall put up solid averages of 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 outings. Houston was a bad team though, and they decided to essentially pay him to sit out the 2021-22 season. They agreed to a contract buyout after the season.
Wall’s last season with the Wizards came in 2019-20. He did not play at all that season due to injury. He actually had over a two-year stretch of not playing from December 27, 2018 until December 31, 2020.
Perennial All-Star Earlier In His Career
Wall was seen amongst the top point guards in the league for a stretch. For five straight seasons spanning from 2013-14 to 2017-18, he was named an All-Star. During those five years, he posted averages of 20.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.9 assists, and 1.6 steals. In 2014-15, he was named to the All-Defensive Second Team.
Wall’s best season in the league came in 2016-17. He would average career-highs in scoring (23.1), assists (10.7), and steals (2.0), It was the third season in a row that Wall had a double-digit average in assists. He finished seventh in MVP voting and made the All-NBA Third Team.
Once Washington drafted Bradley Beal in 2012, he and Wall became one of the best backcourts in the league. Three times, the duo helped guide the Wizards to the second round of the playoffs (2014, 2015, and 2017).
All in all, Wall has played in parts of 11 seasons. In 647 career regular season games (604 starts), Wall has averages of 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 1.6 steals. He has shot 43.0% from the field, 32.2% from three-point range, and 77.6% from the free throw line.
