John Wall Takes Responsibility for Wizards Exit, Says It'd Be 'Dope' for Team to Retire No. 2 Jersey
Former NBA guard and Washington Wizards superstar John Wall sat down with Colin Salao of Front Office Sports to discuss a host of topics, most notably the unfortunate prevalence of injuries (specifically Achilles tears) to star basketball players.
Wall's time with the Wizards ended with a trade to the Houston Rockets in Dec. 2020 amid an injury-riddled period for him that saw the ex-Kentucky star play just 73 games over the 2017-18 (left knee injury) and 2018-19 seasons (left heel injury, infection, ruptured Achilles tendon) before missing all of 2019-20.
It was a tough end to an exciting time in town, and Wall looked back on how things ended.
"We both didn't end on the right terms," Wall told Salao. "I take my responsibility and I'm maturing and understanding what I did on my part. Them as organization, they have to do what's best for them and move forward."
Wall, who now works for Amazon Prime Video as an NBA analyst for its broadcasts (and the Wizards for their Monumental Sports Network broadcasts), will be in town on Thursday, when his former team honors him as part of a Celebration Night. Amazon will notably be showcasing the Wizards' home game against the Milwaukee Bucks that evening.
The Wizards aren't retiring Wall's No. 2 jersey as part of the celebration, but Wall would understandably love to see that happen someday.
"For me, the Wizards, the organization, they mean everything to me. They gave me an opportunity to reach my full potential playing on the NBA level. … If they do my jersey retirement, that would be dope. It's all up to them if they feel like it's the right fit for everything," he told Salao.
The Wizards selected Wall with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Over nine seasons, Wall averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He made five straight All-Star teams (2014-2018) and earned All-NBA Third Team honors in 2016-17. Washington also went to the playoffs four times in five years with Wall leading the way.
