John Wall’s illustrious Wizards career didn’t exactly have a storybook finish.
Prior to its Dec. 28, 2018, meeting with the Chicago Bulls, Washington’s all-time assists leader was ruled out with a left heel injury. He had just dropped 21 points in the latest edition — a 105-96 loss at Detroit — of a four-game skid.
And that was it. The popular Wizard was sidelined for the rest of the 2018-19 season after undergoing debridement and repair of a Haglund’s deformity and a chronic Achilles tendon injury in his left heel, the team said. As his injury lingered for months, the star point guard missed the entire 2019-20 campaign, as well.
In December 2020, a few weeks before this current 72-game season would begin, Wall’s tenure in Washington officially concluded. The Wizards sent him and a future first-round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for fellow point guard Russell Westbrook.
Wall’s NBA career began over 10 years ago, when Washington selected the 19-year-old freshman from the University of Kentucky with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Over his decade-long Wizards career, Wall averaged 19 points and 9.2 assists per game.
“Ten years is a long time to think back on,” Wall wrote in a social media post following the trade. “I came to DC as a skinny 19 year old with big dreams and goals…I appreciate you and will ALWAYS have love for DC.”
Tonight, the Wizards (3-9) and Rockets (6-9) meet at Houston’s Toyota Center for the first time of the season.
Since Wall has left Washington, he said he’s continuing to follow his old team.
“I can tell you one thing, I’m watching every game.” Wall told NBC Sports Washington’s Chris Miller. “If I’m not playing, I’m definitely watching every game. I could switch my iPad around right now and I could show you I’ve got three TVs, like I’ve always had, to watch basketball or football all night long. That’s what I do.”
Thus far in Houston, Wall is averaging 17.1 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.
“I think I’ve got a little bit of emotions,” Wall said about playing the Wizards tonight, via The Washington Post. “It’s not too many emotions because I’m not going back to D.C. I think that’s when it will be the most emotions, when I have the opportunity to walk back into Capital One Arena and see the city where I’ve been the last 10 years. But it’ll definitely be a sight to see those guys.”
Wall’s reunion with the Wizards tips off at 8 p.m. EST and will be televised locally on NBC Sports Washington.