Even though John Wall went unsigned during the entirety of the 2023-24 NBA campaign, he’s said that he isn’t ready to walk away from the league just yet. The veteran, who has been selected five times as an All-Star, doesn’t mind taking on a bench role, in order to remain on basketball’s biggest stage this upcoming season.
The athlete was invited on Paul George’s Podcast P this week to talk about where he stands today as a 33-year-old without a team. “I know how much the game means to me. How much I wanna get back to the game,” he told the Clippers superstar.
“I’ve been an All-Star, I’ve been a franchise player before. It’s been a tough journey trying to get back there. The most important thing for me is just trying to stay healthy,” said Wall, as he considers his physical condition to be fundamental to him finding a team.
John Wall just wants to ball ❤️
(via @PodcastPShow) pic.twitter.com/JogJolL5R2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 25, 2024
Now that he’s part of an older generation, John believes he still have a positive impact for young players inside any locker room. “I know a lot of these teams have a lot of young guys on the team. They don’t have a lot of vets. I think you need those vets in the locker room. That’s what teams are missing,” the player assured.
“I’m willing to accept any role it is to be on a team,” Wall admitted. “If it’s playing, not playing, being in the Udonis Halsem role. Anything like that. I just wanna be in an NBA jersey again because I know how much the game means to me, how much I still have left. If it’s helping the team playing, if it’s helping the team trying to be a coach or be a mentor, I’m willing to accept that.”
John last played for the Clippers in 2022-23 before being traded out to Houston in February 2023, only to be waived by the Rockets without playing a single minute for the club.
The athlete was once considered one of the best point guards in the league, but saw his career derailed by several knee injuries. Wall hasn’t played more than 41 games in a season since the 2016-17 campaign.
Wall Says He Would’ve Killed Himself Already If It Wasn’t For His Kids: ‘I Put A Gun To My Head Twice’
For the first time since since 2010, John doesn’t have a contract with an NBA team and is still pursuing an opportunity to keep competing in the league. However, despite becoming a sort of cult hero during his 11-year career, it hasn’t been an easy road for him.
Back in March, he appeared on The OG’s podcast with hosts Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, and opened up about his emotional struggles during his time as a player, especially when his mother passed away in 2019. According to the ex-Wizards star, he tried to kill himself twice during this period, describing it as the lowest point of his life.
“Mental health is serious, I had to go get a therapist after that,” Wall shared. “If it wasn’t for my two boys… I put a gun to my head twice, and a lot of people that’s close to me and my friends at the time didn’t know.”
A year after losing his mother, his grandmother died in 2020, and recalls going through it while recovering from surgery after rupturing his Achilles Heel. He told the podcast hosts that if it wasn’t for his children, he probably would’ve committed suicide. “Man, if I take myself away from this Earth I’m failing my kids,” John revealed. “I know I gotta be there for them.”
