Top-10 Wizards player of all time desperate to stay in NBA
By Jack Simone
![Washington Wizards, John Wall, NBA Washington Wizards, John Wall, NBA](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3472,h_1953,x_43,y_76/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/150/01j1837xerq29bqvev5z.jpg)
Though the Washington Wizards may not have the most legendary history in the NBA, they’ve had some great players pass through the organization, and a few of them were in recent years.
Obviously, there was Bradley Beal, who the Wizards just traded last offseason to kickstart their latest rebuild. Gilbert Arenas is also a core part of Washington’s history.
But for a lot of fans who grew up watching the NBA in the 2000s, John Wall is the first player they picture when told to think of a guy wearing a Washington jersey. According to Basketball Reference’s top players in terms of win shares, Wall ranks sixth in Wizards history.
Wall last played in the NBA during the 2022-23 season when he appeared in 34 games for the LA Clippers, starting three of them. He averaged 11.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 40.8% from the field and 30.3% from behind the three-point line.
However, while he may not have played in the NBA this past season, Wall doesn’t want to give up hope on making a return to basketball’s biggest stage.
Wizards legend John Wall wants to make return to NBA by any means necessary
During a recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, Wall said that he is willing to do anything and accept any role in order to stay in the NBA.
"I'm willing to accept any role it is to be on a team. 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 Wall on Podcast P with Paul George
At 33 years old, Wall is certainly entering the final stages of his career should be make a return to an NBA court. However, it would definitely be a fun story if he were to make a comeback.
The most intriguing question of them all, however, is whether or not a Wall return to Washington would make some sense for both parties involved.
For Wall, if he’s truly committed to accepting any role on any team in order to get back to the NBA, then he shouldn’t have a problem with taking a role on the Wizards.
As for the Washington side of the coin, bringing in a veteran leader and franchise legend like Wall would not only be a fun storyline for fans to follow throughout the season but a nice piece to have at the guard position.
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