In the span of just six years, John Wall may be going from supermax player to Italian league player.
European outlet BasketNews reports this week that the former All-NBA point guard Wall is in talks with Olimpia Milano, a pro basketball team in Italy. Wall, 32, is still unsigned over a month into the official NBA offseason.
Also known as Armani Milan (after their sponsor), Olimpia Milano is the most storied and successful team in the country. They are coached by ex-Lakers and Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina and have several former NBA players already on their roster (like Nikola Mirotic, Alex Poythress, Kevin Pangos, and captain Nicolo Melli).
As for Wall, his time in the NBA appears to be up. He had a forgettable 2022-23 season with the LA Clippers with career-low averages of 11.4 points and 5.2 assists per contest. Wall can still push the pace in transition but now struggles to get by defenders in the halfcourt, resulting in an overreliance on his below-average jumper. The five-time All-Star’s defense has also taken a big step back.
Wall suffered an abdominal injury on a dunk in January and never played in another game for the Clippers, who sent him to the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline. Houston waived Wall within days, and he was unsigned for the rest of the year. Even a recent summer workout by Wall for interested NBA teams appears to have gone nowhere.
After 13 years in the NBA, Wall has earned over $275 million in career salary. But his love for the game may push Wall to continue his basketball career overseas. If that ends up being the case, hopefully Wall thrives in a new country like like this former teammate of his has also been doing.
