John Wall has officially called it a career. After a rollercoaster of highs, lows, and injuries, the five-time NBA All-Star has decided to step away from the game, closing the chapter on a career that once had fans buzzing, especially in Washington during his time on the Wizards.
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But walking away from the game you grew up playing is hard. Who knows how difficult it must have been for Wall, who at 34, still felt like he had a lot to give the league. One person who can understand a bit is Kendrick Perkins. The one-time champ gave his thoughts on Wall’s retirement on the latest edition of his Road Trippin podcast.
“His career was derailed by injuries,” stated Perk, who thought that Wall had much more to give. “I feel like as soon as we were about to see the best version of John Wall, he started dealing with injuries, right? He never got back to himself again.”
KP later noted that J-Wizzy’s talent and competitiveness were never in question. “I’ve always been a fan of his. The way that he competed. He was a guy that competed with pride. When you talk about health, at one point it was him and Russell Westbrook that were the two fastest guys with the basketball from North to South or South to North.”
He’s not wrong. Wall’s presence in Washington was undeniable. He led the franchise to multiple playoff appearances and formed a dynamic backcourt with Bradley Beal. The duo had the city buzzing, and Wall will undoubtedly go down as a Wizards icon. “He had the Wizards relevant for a while. He had them relevant, he had them rocking,” KP said.
“Again because of injuries, which is part of the game and is unfortunate, I still think that we were on the verge of seeing the best of John Wall,” he added.
It’s hard to overstate how challenging the decision to retire can be for a player like Wall, especially after trying to return to the league. Perkins touched on this emotional aspect, as it was a journey he himself had to go through.
“I will applaud him for retiring because I actually been waiting for him the last two years to go ahead and announce it because I know he’s been trying to get back in the league, trying to get on a roster. And I know how hard it is to retire when you retire not on your terms,” he continued.
“When you retire because that damn phone stop ringing. It’s the hardest thing in the world,” Perkins said, with no trace of the usual arrogance with which he speaks. It was clear to anyone that he genuinely knows what Wall has been through the past few years, and is empathetic with his struggles.
Perk then opened up, nearly on the verge of getting choked up, about how hard it was for him to walk away from the hardwood. However, he was excited for whatever came next for Wall, including a potential jump to the analyst position.
“I went through a depression for about a year and a half, but when you finally walk away from the game and announce your retirement, it’s so difficult. I applaud him, because this next chapter is gonna be pretty damn good,” the 2008 champion said.
It was sweet to see Perk throw his support behind a player like that. He typically tends to have a wild take that gets talked about for the wrong reasons. Kudos to him for throwing praise to Wall, a player who deserves his flowers. I’ll second KP on hoping to see Wall on TV to break down games the same way he did as a point guard.
