If John Wall is going to be jealous every time a player signs a contract that is worth more than his, the next three years are bound to be pretty frustrating for him.
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Wall was “rankled” by the four-year, $118 million extension James Harden signed with the Houston Rockets last month. Wall, who is under contract at an average of about $18 million per season through 2019, apparently tends to react unfavorably when guys get paid more than him.
“Wall’s got jealousy issues,” a source told O’Connor. “He’s always upset with someone who makes more money than him.”
And it wasn’t just Harden’s NBA contract. A few months ago, Nick DePaula of The Vertical wrote that Wall declined an endorsement deal with adidas that would have paid him $7.5 million per year because he wanted “Harden money.” Harden signed a 13-year, $200 million deal with adidas last summer.
Wall’s own teammate, Bradley Beal, recently signed a five-year max contract with the Washington Wizards that is worth slightly more than $127 million. If Wall is bothered by Harden’s contract, how does he feel about Beal’s? O’Connor writes much more about the relationship between Wall and Beal in his piece.
In reality, reports of Wall being jealous are nothing new. Just read the public comments he made about Reggie Jackson’s contract a year ago. At the end of the day, Wall agreed to the deal. If he didn’t like it, he shouldn’t have signed on the dotted line.
