More than two years after his last appearance in an NBA game, John Wall has retired.
In a video posted on social media, Wall officially announced his retirement on Tuesday after 11 NBA seasons.
The Washington Wizards, who drafted Wall No. 1 overall in 2010, congratulated him on a great career and wished him well in his retirement.
Wall spent nine seasons with the Wizards from 2010 to 2019. He made the All-Star team in five consecutive years from 2013-14 to 2017-18, along with a seventh-place finish in MVP voting during the 2016-17 season.
The duo of Wall and Bradley Beal, the No. 3 pick in the 2012 draft, helped transform the Wizards into a perennial playoff contender. They made the postseason four times in five seasons from 2014 to ’18, including a 49-win campaign in 2016-17 that resulted in the franchise’s first division title in 38 years.
Injuries began taking a toll on Wall starting with the 2017-18 season. He played just 147 games over the next six seasons, missing all of 2019-20 due to an Achilles injury and sitting out the entire 2021-22 season.
Wall was traded to the Houston Rockets in December 2020 as part of the Russell Westbrook deal. He appeared in 40 games in his first season for a rebuilding Houston team that finished 17-55.
After agreeing to a buyout with the Rockets in June 2022, Wall signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers the next month. He played primarily off the bench for head coach Tyronn Lue, averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 34 games.
The Clippers traded Wall to the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2023. He was waived before appearing in a game with the club.
Appearing on The Draymond Green Show in February (h/t HoopsHype), Wall said he was still working out regularly and thought he could play another year or two. He also expressed hope to stay around basketball when his playing career did end, either as a broadcaster or potentially working his way through a front office to become a general manager.
Wall ended his playing career averaging 18.7 points, 8.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in 647 games over 11 seasons. He is the Wizards’ all-time leader in total assists (5,282), assists per game (9.2) and total steals (976).
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