Former No. 1 overall pick eyeing NBA comeback

Nov 8, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) walks on the court after the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most electrifying NBA players of the mid-2010s is still hoping for a shot in the mid-2020s.

Speaking with reporters this week at the G League Winter Showcase, former All-Star point guard John Wall revealed that he would still like to return to the NBA. Wall made his broadcasting debut at the annual G League event in Orlando, Fla. over the weekend but has yet to give up hope on a comeback.

“It would mean the world,” said Wall of potentially getting another chance in the NBA, per ESPN. “You want to go out on your own terms. I want to finish it the way I want. If I play my last game, I want to walk off the court my way.”

Wall added that he participated in last year’s G League Winter Showcase as a player and continues to work out regularly at the University of Miami.

The ex-Kentucky star Wall was the top overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and went on to make five All-Star teams as a member of the Washington Wizards (as well as an All-NBA team in 2017). At his very peak, Wall was arguably the most complete all-around point guard in the league with his speed, athleticism, defense, scoring, and playmaking.

But Wall was never the same player after a 2018 heel injury eventually led to multiple foot infections before he later tore his Achilles tendon in the same leg during a slip-and-fall at home (details here). When Wall last played for the LA Clippers in the 2022-23, he was an actively negative piece as he had to rely on his underwhelming jumper to compensate for his appreciable loss of athleticism.

It is unclear what NBA team would benefit at this point from having Wall, now 34 years old, on their roster. But it would certainly be a nice storyline for Wall to get the ending that he deserves, especially after admitting earlier this year to once nearly taking his own life due to depression.