John Wall tears up in emotional Kentucky Hall of Fame speech

John Wall on Friday night was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame, and he gave a great speech.

Wall played at Kentucky in the 2009-2010 season and helped the program reach the Elite Eight. He was named SEC Player of the Year and to numerous All-American teams.

He gave thanks to many of his coaches and former teammates during his speech, but he especially singled out his mother and John Calipari. The emotional stuff occurs around the 5-minute mark:

Wall talked about how his mother helped navigate him so he avoided going down the same road as his father, who was in jail, and how valuable Calipari was to him.

The 27-year-old guard became the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and is now recognized as one of the finest players in the Eastern Conference. He helped the Washington Wizards to the Eastern Conference semifinals this past season.

Wall’s speech is reminiscent of Kevin Durant’s MVP speech in which he gave special recognition to his mother.