“Injuries robbed him” – NBA fans pay their tributes as 5× All-Star John Wall announces his retirement at 34

Former No. 1 pick John Wall announced his retirement from the league at the age of 34 on Tuesday via a heartfelt video posted on social media.

“Retired but never done. Doing it the #WallWay”

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Fans on social media reacted to the news. A fan on X praised him but mentioned his struggles with injury.

Aziel

@Euaziel

@UnderdogNBA John Wall was electric in his prime. Injuries robbed us of seeing his full potential.

Other fans paid their tributes:

Monotone Football

@MonotoneFootbal

@JohnWall Legend. Now time to retire that jersey in DC 🙏

Adam Battocchi

@AdamBattocchi

@JohnWall Congratulations on a great career. Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison made the Wizards respectable. When they passed the torch, you carried it the right way. #2 may someday be retired by the Wizards.

ryanpropz

@ryanpropz

@JohnWall What an absolute blast of a career to watch man. Enjoy retirement

The Washington Wizards also paid tribute to their former player:

Washington Wizards

@WashWizards

One of our franchise all-time greats. The definition of an era. A lasting legacy. A forever Wizard. Congratulations on your retirement, @JohnWall 💙

Washington Wizards

@WashWizards

.@JohnWall left a legacy in our city, one that lives on far beyond the court. Thank you for making D.C. proud 💙

John Wall was a five-time NBA All-Star (2014–2018) whose professional career spanned 11 seasons. The Washington Wizards selected him with the first pick in the 2010 NBA draft after he had a standout single season at Kentucky.

Wall spent his first nine years with the Wizards. He then had brief stints with the Houston Rockets (2020–21) and the LA Clippers (2022–23).

He played over 647 games and averaged 18.7 points, 8.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Notable accolades include an All-NBA Third Team in 2017, an NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2015 and the 2014 Slam Dunk Contest champion.

However, his career was significantly impacted by injuries. He had a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2019, which derailed his prime years and then missed the entire 2019–20 season as he struggled with recurring issues thereafter.

From 2017, he played only in limited games, 147 in total across those seasons, as he missed two full seasons.

John Walls opens up on leaving the Washington Wizards

John Wall was a guest on “The Dawg Talk Podcast” on July 23, and he shared his thoughts on leaving the Washington Wizards. He asserted that he wanted to play for one organization, and talked about the challenges and external difficulties in his career.

"I was one of those players. I always wanted to play for one organization," Wall said.

"I mean, you understand it's a business, but at that time, it was difficult to deal with cuz I had just lost my mom the year before that, then COVID was going on."

Wall was traded in December 2020 along with a 2023 lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Russell Westbrook.

He was upset that the Wizards didn’t let him play another season with Bradley Beal, something the team had previously suggested could happen.

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About the author

Ubong Richard

Ubong Richard Archibong is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over a year's experience in the field with FirstSportz.

Ubong is an LA Lakers fan, and he grew up watching Kobe Bryant taking on everyone with his Mamba mentality. Ubong's love for the Lakers hit another level when his favorite player, LeBron James, joined LA from the Cavs. Other than LeBron, Ubong likes Anthony Edwards, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Phil Jackson.

Beyond the court, Ubong is a traveler at heart and a Chelsea fan, always ready for the thrill and tension they bring. When not working, Ubong likes traveling and volunteering.

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