For John Wall, who returned to Washington, DC, for the first time since the Wizards traded him to the Houston Rockets brought the standard emotions, but it also brought something else: closure.
“I think I talked to The Athletic about what I wanted to get off my chest and let the past be the past,” Wall said after Monday’s 131-119 loss to the Wizards. “Other than that, I’m not really talking about being with the wizards or anything anymore.”
Wall referred to an interview he did before his return game, in which he said he felt there was a lack of fairness and transparency in the Wizards’ front office that led to the transaction that sent him to Houston in December in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
Wall said his memories of his time in Washington will be more about his involvement in the community, where he was a fixture on multiple different programs.
“I’ve done great things that I want to keep doing and I remember doing them from my time at Miyah [a 6-year-old girl Wall befriended who died of cancer in 2015], Bright Beginnings, my adopted school from Ketcham Elementary. The fifth graders know I have an agreement with them, I want to keep going, “he said.” I have the [NBA] Community Assist Award helps DC
“Those are the things I’ll keep talking about, but anything with the Wizards or how the trade went or something like that, that article was the last time I’m going to talk about it. Move on with my new franchise.”
The Wizards showed a tribute video in the first half of Wall and his 10 years with the franchise, particularly his work in the DC community. But because there were no fans in the building, it didn’t carry the same weight that a typical backgame – especially for a fan favorite like Wall – would normally have.
“It was difficult. I played for the fans; I played for the city,” said Wall. “I am an emotional and passionate person. I have been for 10 years now. I wanted to see those guys and see them here to support me.
“It was absolutely hard to want to have my first game back in Washington with my mother in the stands,” Wall said of his late mother, Frances Pulley. “She’s been there with me for everything, and it was hard to know she’s not here. She would probably have been in row 10, section G – or the front row, if she was feeling well. “Because of that, but I know she’s looking after me and very proud of me in the comeback I had. But it would have been damned to see her there.”
Wall scored 29 points to go along with 11 assists in 35 minutes, but with key Houston players (Christian Wood, Victor Oladipo, PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon), the Wizards took off in the second half to give the Rockets their sixth consecutive defeat. .
It was Wall’s second time against his former team, which diluted some of the emotions, he said.
“It was really cool. I wasn’t too worried about it. We’ve played them before,” he said. “I think it would have been different if the fans were there, but the fans weren’t there. It was good to compete and see some guys I mess with. That was it.”
Despite having no fans, Wall said it was nice to see familiar faces in the arena, but he regretted the missing ones.
“I know a few people in this arena today who have supported me since I was a kid for 10 years who I haven’t been able to see because they were fired because of the pandemic,” said Wall. ‘I wish them the best. I know they played a big part in my becoming a young boy to a grown man.
“If I get the chance when I come back next year and there are fans, I definitely want to get those people in the stands. So I’m looking forward to buying lots of tickets for people who were looking for and helping me grow who I am today and let them know I haven’t forgotten them. “
Wall had the energy kicked in early, playing an electric first half and punctuating it with a signature soaring left-handed dunk that ended with a loud scream. Wall scored 22 of his 29 in the first half, but with the offensive burden falling almost entirely on him, the Rockets couldn’t keep up with the Wizards’ firepower.
Bradley Beal scored 37 on 14-of-24 shooting for Washington, while Westbrook added another triple-double to the books: 16 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists.
“We’re going for it. We’re competing. We guard each other, push each other,” Beal said of his former teammate Wall. “Even tonight we push each other, tell each other we need to be better, guard each other. It’s just competitive. That’s just who we are; that’s our nature. I think that pushed us a little bit to be who we are, who we both are today, and it’s a wonderful thing.
“So I absolutely look forward to battling him for the rest of my career, as crazy as that may sound.”
At several points during the match, Wall talked and laughed with Beal. The two had bonded in the backcourt, grew up together, and developed their partnership to both become All-Star-level guards.
I think he embraces it. He’s enjoying it, ”Wall said of Beal. “I think he would like him to be on the other side of me because of all the hard work and dedication we’ve put in over the past two years.”
Wall missed all season through a ruptured Achilles tendon in February 2019, leaving many wondering what kind of player he would be when he returned. It was a driving factor in Westbrook’s exchange, with Wall’s hefty contract and health issues lurking over his future.
But the 30-year-old has returned to a high level, averaging 19.5 points and 5.9 assists per game for the Rockets. When asked if he liked showing what he still can do and what he could possibly have done with the wizards, Wall was short and to the point.
‘Yes. They see it, ”he said. “They’ve seen it all season.”