A year ago, we learned that John Wall And Austin Rivers had organized a “workout” in front of around ten franchises on the sidelines of the “G-League Winter Showcase” in order to show that they were still able to have a role in the NBA, in vain.
At the time, Austin Rivers had already taken a step into “post-career” as an ESPN consultant. This year, John Wall returned to Orlando, not to play, but to also take this step.
Hired as a consultant for a “one shot”, the veteran point guard, five times All-Star from 2014 to 2018, commented on two games in a row, including the opposition between the Iowa Wolves and the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and this news adventure seems to please him. It was after realizing that he was talking a lot with his friends in front of matches on television that it clicked. Why not retrain as a commentator?
Its big premiere therefore took place this weekend, and the person visibly enjoyed it, dissecting each action and providing his point of view, all during nearly five hours of live broadcast.
The field or the microphone?
“I will always be critical of myself. I can become much better. I'm learning more and more, but for me, talking about basketball is what I love doing. This is what I do when I'm at home with my friends and my kids.”, he declared. “Last year, I was there to do workouts for a few teams. I was on the field next door, working before the matches. It was fun.”
Even if he has not yet officially announced his retirement from playing and still has a slight hope that he will be called upon, everything tends to think that we will not see him again on the court, in the NBA at least. Since rupturing his Achilles tendon in 2019, he has played just 74 games in the NBA, with the Rockets and Clippers.
Above all, his last official match dates back to January 13, 2023, almost two years. This reconversion in sight therefore seems like a possible next step for him, even if he maintains a slim hope of one day seeing the courts again, still training within the facilities of the University of Miami. After all, he is “only” 34 years old…
“I do everything I can to take care of myself, but injuries are always part of the game. Of course I think about them, about those moments that I experienced, that I appreciated. I get frustrated with it sometimes. But God leaves nothing to chance,” he added before raising the possibility of one last dance as a player. “It’s something that would mean a lot to me. You want to be able to leave the way you decide, and that's what I want. If I can play one last match, I want to be able to leave the field my way.”
