John Wall Sides with Kyrie Irving on NBA Restart: 'I Wouldn't Want to Go to It'

Washington Wizards guard John Wall is out until next season with an Achilles injury, but told The Tuff Juice Podcast he wouldn't play in Orlando even if he was healthy.

"For me, if I was playing, I wouldn't want to go to it, to be honest," Wall said, via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. "I just don't feel like it's safe. I just don't feel like it is. I understand why they want to do it and what they're trying to get to, but I wouldn't want to."

This echoes the concerns brought forth by Kyrie Irving in a recent phone call to players.

"I don't support going into Orlando," Irving said in the call, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. "... Something smells a little fishy."

Irving is also out for the year because of a shoulder injury.

The NBA season has been suspended since March because of the coronavirus, but the league announced its plans to restart July 30 with all games being held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. There will be 22 teams taking part in eight games each before the playoffs begin.

The Wizards were among the invited squads but are currently 5.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 seed. They will have an opportunity to play their way into the playoffs, but they would need to be within four games the eighth-seeded squad and then beat it twice in a row.

Wall doesn't see the purpose of playing games with such a long shot to compete.

"If I was healthy enough to play, I wouldn't want to go play," he said. "What am I going, just to play eight games? I'm not going for just eight games and then coming back home."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Irving has led a plea for players to sit out the restarted season, with several players considering following him. Among the concern for players is the risk of injury, the restrictions inside the bubble and the potential distraction amid ongoing protests against racial injustice.