John Wall (basketball)
Johnathan Hildred Wall, Jr.[1] (born September 6, 1990) is an American basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. Wall was chosen first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards. He played for the University of Kentucky.
Youth
Wall is the son of Frances Pulley and John Carroll Wall, Sr., who was in prison for most of Wall's childhood for robbery with a dangerous weapon. When Wall was 9 years old, his father was released from prison but died of liver cancer a month later, on August 24, 1999 at the age of 52. Throughout his childhood, Wall's mother worked multiple jobs to support Wall, his sister, Cierra, and his half-sister, Tonya.[2]
Wall played AAU basketball for D-One Sports.[3]
High school career
Wall played his first two years of high school basketball at Garner Magnet High School in Garner, North Carolina. After his second season, his family moved to Raleigh, and Wall repeated his sophomore year at Needham B. Broughton High School. Despite a very impressive tryout, Wall was cut from the Broughton basketball team for attitude-related issues. As a result Wall transferred from Broughton High School to Word of God Christian Academy, also in Raleigh.[2][3]
In the summer of 2007, after his sophomore year of high school, Wall was invited to the 2007 Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia. Wall distinguished himself from the competition, scoring 28 points against a team that featured future lottery pick Brandon Jennings.[2]
In 2008, Wall played in the Elite 24 Hoops Classic. Wall scored 10 points and earned co-MVP honors with Dominic Cheek, Maalik Wayns and Lance Stephenson.[4]
As a fifth-year senior in the year 2009, Wall averaged 19.7 points, 9 assists and over 8 rebounds for Word of God Christian Academy[5] and was ranked as one of the best high school basketball players in his class.[6] Wall led Word of God to the North Carolina Class 1A state championship where they were defeated by United Faith Christian Academy 56-53 after United Faith's Ian Miller hit a 40 foot shot at the buzzer. Wall scored 11 points in the game.[7] He was selected to participate in the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon. He scored 13 points to go along with 11 assists and 5 steals.[8] He was also selected to play in the 2009 Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden where he notched 6 assists.[9]
College career
Wall was originally recruited by the University of Kentucky, Duke University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Kansas. Wall committed to attend the University of Kentucky on May 19, 2009.[10] Wall and his teammates were introduced to Kentucky fans through the annual Big Blue Madness event. At this event, which had more attention to it than normally given due to the anticipated recruiting class, players were introduced with music one at a time at a raised platform high above the arena. This is when John Wall first performed what has come to be known as the "John Wall Dance" – turning his right arm in a biceps "flex", then rotating his hand out. This dance has taken on a life of its own through web viewings, photos of people doing the dance across the world, and more. He was suspended by the NCAA from Kentucky's first exhibition game and first regular season game, for travel benefits he received from his AAU coach, Brian Clifton, who was a certified agent at the time.[11] In his first action as a Wildcat, in an exhibition game against Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Wall led his team with 27 points and 9 assists in 28 minutes of playing time.[12]
- 11/16/09 – In his collegiate debut at Kentucky versus Miami University, Wall made the game winning shot with .5 seconds left on the clock to help then # 5 ranked Kentucky win. He finished with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
- 11/19/09 – In his 2nd career game, against Sam Houston State, Wall topped his debut performance with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 102–92 winning effort.
- 11/21/09 – In his 3rd career game, against Rider, Wall scored 21 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, 11 assists, and having only 2 turnovers.
- 11/24/09 – In his 5th career game, against Stanford, Wall scored a career high 23 points, hitting 2 free throws with 2.4 seconds left to send the game in to overtime.
- 12/05/09 – In his 7th career game Wall and the Wildcats faced one of their major rivals, North Carolina, who was ranked #10 at the time. Wall battled cramping throughout the game but was able to lead his team to victory despite the fact that they squandered a double digit lead in the second half, with the final score being 68–66. Wall contributed 16 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
- 12/09/09 – In his first game in Madison Square Garden, against then-ranked #12 Connecticut, Wall scored a team-high 25 points, to go with 6 steals, and scored 12 of UK's last 15 points for a 64–61 victory, moving Kentucky to #3 on the AP polls.
- 12/12/09 – Against UK's rebuilding rival Indiana, Wall scored a career-low 11 points and turned the ball over once, while playing all but one minute of the game. This game marked the third time in Wall's 9-game career that he scored at least 10 points and had at least 8 assists, which leaves him 2 games away from tying a UK record, which was set by Wayne Turner.
- 12/29/09 – Against Hartford Wall set the UK single game assist record with 16, 11 in the 1st half, and only 1 turnover. The mark was previously held by Travis Ford, at 15, and was broken on Ford's 40th birthday. Wall failed to break double digits in scoring (9 points) for the first time in his college career.
College statistics
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2009–10 |
Kentucky |
37 |
37 |
34.8 |
.461 |
.325 |
.754 |
4.3 |
6.5 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
16.6 |
| Career |
|
37 |
37 |
34.8 |
.461 |
.325 |
.754 |
4.3 |
6.5 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
16.6 |
Professional career
Because Wall was a fifth-year high school senior in 2009 and would turn 19 by the end of the year, some sources argued that he would be eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft. Draft rules stated that American players must turn 19 during the year of the draft, and must be a year removed from their regular high school class. NBA spokesman Tim Frank told sportswriter Chad Ford that the league was not sure if Wall met the second criterion, and that league officials would need to "do [their] due diligence to determine his eligibility".[13] However, Wall announced in April 2009 that he was not entering the 2009 NBA Draft. Wall was expected to be the first player drafted in the 2009 NBA Draft before his first season at Kentucky.[14]
Washington Wizards (2010–present)
On April 7, 2010, Wall announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA Draft, where he was expected to be the first overall selection for the Washington Wizards.[15] On May 3, Wall signed with agent Dan Fegan.[16]
On June 23, 2010, Reebok revealed Wall as its latest signing, casting him as the face of its latest basketball shoe, the ZigTech Slash.[17] On June 24, 2010, Wall was drafted as the first overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft. On June 25, 2010, Mayor Adrian Fenty of Washington D.C. declared June 25 as John Wall Day on a plaque handed to John Wall during his Washington Wizards' presser.[18]
2010–2011 (rookie season)
Wall was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League,[19] averaging 23.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 32.3 minutes per game.[20] Wall made his NBA debut in a 112-83 loss to the Orlando Magic. He had 14 points, 9 assists, and 3 steals.[21] In his third game, his first home game, he tied a franchise record with nine steals, and became only the second player in NBA history to get nine assists or more in each of his first three games.[22] On November 10, Wall recorded his first career triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists to go along with 6 steals and only 1 turnover.[23] In doing so, Wall became the second rookie, along with Magic Johnson, to record a triple-double with six steals in his first six games.[24] Wall was the third youngest player to record a triple-double in NBA history.[25] John Wall was named 2011 Rookie Game MVP during the 2011 All-Star Weekend. Wall was also named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month from January-April and finished 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting behind unanimous selection Blake Griffin and was named to the NBA All-Rookie 1st Team.
NBA statistics
Regular season
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2010–11 |
Washington |
69 |
64 |
37.8 |
.409 |
.296 |
.766 |
4.6 |
8.3 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
16.4 |
| Career |
|
69 |
64 |
37.8 |
.409 |
.296 |
.766 |
4.6 |
8.3 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
16.4 |
Awards & Records
Awards
NBA
On cover of February 2011, SLAM[26]
College
- 2010 SEC Tournament MVP[27]
- 2010 SEC Tournament First Team
- 2009–10 SEC Player of the Year[28]
- 2009–10 First Team All-SEC[28]
- 2009–10 SEC All Freshman Team[28]
- 2009–10 John R. Wooden Award Finalist[29]
- 2009–10 Yahoo! Sports National Player of the Year[30]
- 2009–10 Yahoo! Sports First Team All-American[30]
- 2009–10 Yahoo! Sports SEC Player of the Year[31]
- 2009–10 Yahoo! Sports SEC Freshman of the Year[31]
- 2009–10 Yahoo! Sports First Team All-SEC[31]
- 2009–10 Sporting News First Team All-American[32]
- 2009–10 Sporting News National Freshman of the Year[33]
- 2009–10 Sporting News First Team All-Freshman[34]
- 2009–10 Associated Press SEC Player of the Year[35]
- 2009–10 Associated Press SEC Newcomer of the Year[35]
- 2009–10 Associated Press First Team All-SEC[35]
- 2009–10 CBS Sports First Team All-American[36]
- 2009–10 CBS Sports National Freshman of the Year[36]
- 2009–10 CBS Sports First Team Freshman All-American[36]
- 2009–10 CBS Sports SEC Player of the Year[37]
- 2009–10 CBS Sports SEC Freshman of the Year[37]
- 2009–10 CBS Sports First Team All-SEC
- 2009–10 Fox Sports First Team All-American[38]
- 2009–10 Fox Sports National Freshman of the Year[38]
- 2009–10 Fox Sports All-Freshman Team
- 2009–10 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's First Team All-America Team[39]
- 2009–10 U.S. Basketball Writers Association District IV Player of the Year[40]
- 2009–10 U.S. Basketball Writers Association District IV All-District Team[40]
- Named ESPN National Player of the Week (11/16 – 11/22) in first week of collegiate career.
- Named MVP of 2009 Cancun Challenge (11/25).
- Named SEC Freshman of the Week, a record, 4 straight weeks (11/23, 11/30, 12/7, and 12/14). Note: First 4 weeks of his Collegiate career.
On cover of January 11, 2010, Sports Illustrated[41]
On cover of January 12, 2010, Sporting News[42]
On cover of March 2010, SLAM (with team)[43]
On cover of May–June 2010, Dime Magazine[44]
Records
- Most points in a season by a UK Freshman
- Most assists in a season, 241 by a UK Player and by a UK Freshman
- Most assists in a game, 16, by a UK Player and by a UK Freshman
- T-7th for most Steals in a game, 6, by a UK Player on two occasions 11/30/2009 & 12/9/2009.
- First UK player to be drafted 1st overall in the NBA Draft[45]
References
- ^ Lamb, Amanda (May 5, 2009). "Prep basketball standout cited with breaking and entering". http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5075734/. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ a b c Prisbell, Eric (June 20, 2010). "Despite the angst that his father's jail stint and death created, John Wall reveres him". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/19/AR2010061902948_pf.html. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ a b King, Jason (December 4, 2009). "Behind John Wall". rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-wall120409. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ "2008 ELITE 24 BASKETBALL GAME RESULTS". InsideHoops.com. August 22, 2008. http://www.insidehoops.com/elite-24-hoops-classic.shtml. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ Krider, Dave (May 19, 2009). "Kentucky Lands Star PG Wall". MAXPREPS.com. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/RtIjDkTqEd6pcwAcxJTdpg/kentucky-lands-star-pg-wall.htm. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Rivals.com Ranking - Rivals150 for class of 2009". Yahoo! Sports. April 16, 2009. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/rankings/rank-1642. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ "USAB: Getting to Know The 2009 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team: John Wall". USABasketball.com. April 1, 2009. http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/hoopsummit/09_hsum_feature_wall.html. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ Haubs, M.. "Nike Hoop Summit Scouting Reports". The Painted Area. http://thepaintedarea.blogspot.com/2009/04/nike-hoop-summit-scouting-reports.html. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ "Derrick Favors Leads Black Jerseys to Victory and Earns Co-Most Valuable Player Honors in 2009 Jordan Brand Classic". Nike.com. April 18, 2009. http://www.nike.com/jumpman23/classic/2009jbc.html. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ^ Katz, Andy (May 20, 2009). "John Wall commits to Kentucky Wildcats". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4178271.
- ^ DeCourcy, Mike (October 30, 2009). "Kentucky freshman John Wall to be suspended two games by NCAA". http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2009-10-30/kentucky-freshman-john-wall-be-suspended-one-game-ncaa. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ Press, Associated (November 6, 2009). "Wall goes for 27 as No. 4 Kentucky Rolls Past Clarion". UK Athletics. http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2009-2010/uk11609.html. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
- ^ Ford, Chad (April 22, 2009). "Buzz from the Nike Hoop Summit". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftWatch-090414. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ^ "John Wall Not Entering 2009 NBA Draft". Sports.espn.go.com. April 22, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftWatch-090414. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "Kentucky frosh to try for NBA". freep.com. April 7, 2010. http://www.freep.com/article/20100408/SPORTS08/4080402/1049/Sports/Kentucky-frosh-to-try-for-NBA.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (May 3, 2010). "John Wall Signs with Dan Fegan and BEST". DrafExpress.com. http://www.draftexpress.com/article/John-Wall-Signs-with-Dan-Fegan-and-BEST-3456. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ "Reebok Announces New Signee John Wall And New ZigTech Slash Kicks". Planetill.com. June 23, 2010. http://planetill.com/2010/06/reebok-announces-new-signee-john-wall-and-new-zigtech-slash-kicks/.
- ^ Steinberg, Dan (June 25, 2010). "John Wall arrives in D.C.". WashingtonPost.com. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/06/john_wall_arrives_in_dc.html. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ a b Packham, Drew (July 18, 2010). "Wall leads All-Tournament Team". NBA.com. http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/07/18/wall-leads-all-tournament-team/. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ "2010 NBA Summer League". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/stats/. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ Lee, Michael (October 29, 2010). "Wizards open with a blowout loss". The Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/2010/10/wizards-lose-to-magic.html. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^ Wilbon, Michael (November 3, 2010). "Wizards' season depending heavily on rookie John Wall". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/02/AR2010110208140.html. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ^ "John Wall gets triple-double, Yao Ming gets injured in Wizards' win vs. Rockets". Associated Press (ESPN). November 10, 2010. http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=301110027. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
- ^ Gleeson, Scott (November 10, 2010). "Rookie John Wall posts first triple double as Wizards win". USAToday. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/wizards/2010-11-10-john-wall_N.htm. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
- ^ Lynch, Mike (November 11, 2010). "Wall becomes 3rd-youngest to record triple-double". TrueHoop (ESPN). http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=5790863&i=TOP&y=1a29q. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
- ^ Whitaker, Lang (November 23, 2010). "SLAM 144: On Sale Now! John Wall has arrived". SLAM Magazine. http://www.slamonline.com/online/blogs/the-links/2010/11/slam-144-on-sale-now/. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ March 14, 2010 (March 14, 2010). "Boogie time: Cats win 26th SEC Tournament Championship". Kykernel.com. http://kykernel.com/2010/03/14/boogie-time-cats-win-26th-sec-tournament-championship/. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c "SEC Sports News » Men’s Basketball Awards Announced". Secsports.com. http://www.secsports.com/news/men%92s-basketball-awards-announced.aspx. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "Voting Underway for Wooden Award, All-America Team – The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. March 15, 2010. http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=204908764. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b King, Jason. "Yahoo! Sports All-American Team - College Basketball - Rivals.com". Rivals.yahoo.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news;_ylt=Ap4QMqNxdTQFstiLNoaR6U_evbYF?slug=jn-hoopsalam030810&prov=yhoo&type=lgns. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c King, Jason. "Yahoo! Sports All-Conference teams - College Basketball - Rivals.com". Rivals.yahoo.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news;_ylt=An8e18r54Inh_iSiCbupFDvqz4x4?slug=jn-confcall030410&prov=yhoo&type=lgns. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "Sporting News' College Basketball All-America Team – Mike DeCourcy – College Basketball". Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2010-03-08/sporting-news-college-basketball-all-american-team. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "college basketball Freshman of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky – Jeff D'Alessio, Sporting News – College Basketball". Sporting News. March 8, 2010. http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2010-03-08/sn-freshman-year-john-wall-kentucky. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "Sporting News' College Basketball All-Freshman Team – Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News – College Basketball". Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2010-03-08/sns-all-freshman-team. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c Newberry, Paul (March 15, 2010). "Wall, Calipari lead Kentucky to sweep of AP awards – Sports Wire". MiamiHerald.com. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/15/1530800/wall-calipari-lead-kentucky-to.html. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c By Gary ParrishCBSSports.com Senior Writer (March 9, 2010). "National awards: Turning to Turner too obvious to miss – NCAA Division I Mens Basketball". CBSSports.com. http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/13033650/national-awards-turning-to-turner-too-obvious-to-miss?tag=headlines;collegebasketball. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b By Gary ParrishCBSSports.com Senior Writer (March 8, 2010). "Conference awards: Dishing out league honors – NCAA Division I Mens Basketball". CBSSports.com. http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/13029043/conference-awards-dishing-out-league-honors?tag=coverlist_active;coverlist_title. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b "2009–10 All-American teams – CBK News – FOX Sports on MSN". Msn.foxsports.com. March 9, 2010. http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/Goodman-2009-10-All-American-teams. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ Eaves, Michael (March 15, 2010). "Eaves On Sports (And Other Stuff): US Basketball Writers Association Announces All-America Team". Michaeleaves.blogspot.com. http://michaeleaves.blogspot.com/2010/03/us-basketball-writers-association.html. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b "Lexington, KY | News, Weather, Sports, Kentucky | Calipari, Wall Top USBWA District Awards". LEX18. March 9, 2010. http://www.lex18.com/news/calipari-wall-top-usbwa-district-awards. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ Holmes, Joshua (January 5, 2010). "John Wall SI Sports Illustrated Cover". Sports Illustrated. http://bumpshack.com/2010/01/05/john-wall-si-sports-illustrated-cover/. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Clay, John (January 12, 2010). "John Wall on cover of the Sporting News". Sporting News. http://johnclay.bloginky.com/2010/01/12/john-wall-on-cover-of-the-sporting-news/. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Jones, Matt (March 3, 2010). "SLAM Cover for UK Basketball". SLAM Magazine. http://kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=46266. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ "Dime #57: Do The John Wall". Dime Magazine. May 25, 2010. http://dimemag.com/2010/05/dime-57-do-the-john-wall/johnwallcover1/. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ "Wall, Turner, Favors first three drafted". ESPN.com. June 25, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2010/news/story?id=5325319. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
External links
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John Wall – awards and honors
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| Male winners |
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Wall, John |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
September 6, 1990 |
| Place of birth |
Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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