NBA Swing: John Wall Announces Retirement

Read Time:3 Minute, 24 Second

On Tuesday, John Wall would announce his retirement from the NBA after 11 seasons in the NBA and just under 650 regular-season games. One of the flashiest players of the last 15 years, there are many questions about Wall’s career if it had gone the right way.

Wall would spend one season with Kentucky before heading to the NBA. In just 37 games with the Wildcats, Wall would average 16.6 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 4.3 RPG. Wall would be the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft class, a class that has unfortunately fallen below expectations. The Washington Wizards would draft him, a team still relatively early in their rebuild. Despite averaging over 16.0 PPG, 8.0 APG, and 4.5 APG over his first two seasons, the Wizards would still struggle, landing another high lottery pick in Bradley Beal.

Wall and Beal would become one of the better backcourts in the NBA at a time when the league had very few memorable backcourts. The duo would lead Washington to five seasons at .500 or above in seven years, going to the playoffs four of those five years. The Wizards would reach the second round three out of four times, having both Wall and Beal, but would continuously fall short in an era where the Eastern Conference was dominated by one team.

Things would start to go wrong for Wall during the 2018-19 season. Wall would have a surgery to remove bone spurs in his heel, but would rupture his Achilles tendon in early 2019 in a freak accident in his home. He would miss the rest of the 2018-19 season and would miss the entire 2019-2020 season recovering from the Achilles injury.

After 10 seasons with the team, the Washington Wizards would trade Wall to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook. He would play 40 games in his lone season with the Rockets, averaging 20.7 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 3.6 RPG in his first season post-Achilles injury. Despite a solid year, Wall would sit out the 2021-22 season as the Rockets shifted their priority towards rebuilding. The two sides would agree for Wall to sit out and prioritize his help as the team looked for a trade partner. Wall’s contract would make it hard for the Rockets to find a trade partner.

Wall would enter the last stage of his career after agreeing to a buyout with the Rockets following the 2021-22 season. Despite signing a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of the 2022-23 season, it would be Wall’s last season in the league. He would play just 34 games with the Clippers, mainly coming off the bench. Wall would average just 11.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 2.7 RPG. He would not be a fit with the team and would be traded back to the Houston Rockets in February 2023 before buying him out once more after agreeing. Wall has not stepped foot on an NBA court since 2023. His last NBA game would be January 13, 2023.

Like many from the 2010 draft class and around this time, there are many “What ifs” from Wall’s career. If Wall had not been drafted by the Wizards, his career trajectory may have been much different. Things may have been different if Wall had not ruptured his Achilles tendon and been traded to a different team. Despite the questions, Wall still had a productive NBA career. He would finish with career averages of 18.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 8.9 RPG. Wall would finish with over 12,000 points, 5,700 assists, 2,700 rebounds, and 1,000 steals. He would finish as the Wizards’ all-time leader in both assists and steals. Wall would be a five-time All-Star, one-time All-NBA, and would make the All-Defensive team one time. With Wall’s retirement, the only remaining player from the 2010 draft class is the 10th overall pick, Paul George.