NBL: Former No. 1 NBA Draft Pick John Wall On His Future, The NBL’s Growth And His Ownership Of The South East Melbourne Phoenix
NBA All Star five times over. John Wall hasn't ruled out playing in the NBL, and the fact that he showed up to South East Melbourne practice wearing Phoenix gear got a lot of people talking about the possibility.
John Wall, a player who was selected first overall in the NBA draft, has not ruled out playing in the NBL in the future.
The co-owner of the South East Melbourne Phoenix, however, has one objective in mind at the moment, and that is to return to the NBA.
Down Under for the very first time, the five-time NBA All Star has traveled to Australia to see the throwdown between his club and Melbourne United, which will take place at John Cain Arena on Sunday. His trainer will accompany him.
Wall has stated that his ultimate objective is to "keep pushing harder" in order to return to the NBA. "My ultimate goal for myself is to make it back to the NBA," Wall added.
"I start my day at six in the morning with a workout. I continue to like the struggle. I'm still very much into playing. Right now, my focus is on returning to the National Basketball Association (NBA), which is where I got my start.
Wall, who is 33 years old, played in the NBA for the last time in January with the Los Angeles Clippers. Should an opportunity to return to the major league not present itself, the 191-centimeter point guard would be open to playing in the NBL instead.
Wall told Code Sports with a sardonic smirk, "You never know" how things could turn out.
"If I ever reach that point in my professional life, You can never tell.
"As I've mentioned before, my first concentration is still on the NBA; however, further down the line, if that doesn't work out, if I still want to play, and if I still love the game, you never know what the future has in store for anybody.
As a result, I won't ever give the NBL a firm refusal.
After an outstanding career at the University of Kentucky, where he played college basketball, Wall was selected first overall in the 2010 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. Wall played with the Wizards for a total of nine seasons. A significant portion of his most productive years were cut short by injuries, the worst of which was a torn Achilles tendon in 2019 that required surgery and resulted in infections that made it appear as though he would lose his foot. He had a reputation for being one of the quickest players to ever compete in the NBA, and he finished his career with career averages of nearly 20 points and 10 assists over the course of 647 games.
Several professional athletes, including Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, Boomer and Dallas Maverick Dante Exum, and former NBA players Zach Randolph, Al Harrington, and Josh Childress, are part of Wall's ownership group, which is led by entrepreneur Romie Chaudhari.
He has only been in Melbourne since Thursday, but he is impressed with the Phoenix squad so far because of their position in the top four and the presence of several recognizable players.
Wall said this as he watched the team practice at Hoops City South East in the Melbourne suburb of Carrum Downs. "It's nice to see guys like Alan Williams, whom I played against and know; I know Mitch Creek; I know Will Cummings; I know Gary played (Kentucky teammate and good friend) with DeMarcus (Cousins) in Puerto Rico; and then just getting to know the other guys," Wall said.
"I believe that we have a terrific team; all we need is for the lads to maintain their health, as it is the single most essential factor in sports.
"Keep working together to build chemistry and camaraderie, and don't let up on the intensity of your efforts." If these guys can keep their health and maintain their trust in one another, they have an opportunity to accomplish something truly remarkable.
Wall believes that the basketball community in the United States is now taking the Australian league seriously since there has been a consistent flow of possible NBA draft picks choosing to participate in the NBL Next Stars program.
When asked if the NBL was considered a viable conduit for NBA-level players, he responded, "Well yeah, for sure," when asked if the NBL was seen as a legitimate pathway.
"When you look at it, you see that a lot of high school players that are ranked at the very top are coming over, and the National Basketball League is getting talked about in a manner that you probably never thought it would.
That is very encouraging, as it demonstrates that we are making progress on the right path.
Its visibility increases proportionately with its rate of growth.
"As an owner of a team, I'm trying to let guys (in the US) know it's a great league to be in, and it's a great opportunity," he said. "It's a great opportunity."
The expert passer stated that he had been keeping an eye on the teenage Illawarra Next Star, AJ Johnson, who has a brotherly relationship with Wall's former colleague Jalen Green in Houston.
"Jalen is like a big brother to him," said Wall, referring to AJ Johnson. "I know AJ Johnson pretty well because of that."
"We saw how well Lamelo Ball and RJ Hampton did down here as some of the first guys who did it, and now we're seeing more and more young guys starting their careers in the NBL." "We saw how well Lamelo Ball and RJ Hampton did down here as some of the first guys who did it."
Even though Wall often watches Phoenix games (albeit usually the replays owing to the time difference in the US), he is looking forward to seeing his first live game this Sunday at the John Cain Arena, a highly anticipated throwdown.
He expressed his enthusiasm for attending his first game as an owner this coming Sunday, saying, "I always want to try to grow basketball throughout the world and to have the opportunity to be an owner is exciting for me."
To paraphrase, "I've heard all about it, the rivalry, and I just hope we come out with a win."
United are currently 8-2 in the NBL, but the Phoenix are right on their heels at 6-4 after a contentious loss to Perth on Cup Eve.
And as a result of that loss to the Wildcats, United is dealing with a number of injury concerns. Next Star center Ariel Hukporti (knee) has the best chance of playing despite his ailment, but Ian Clark (hamstring) and Luke Travers (concussion) are in significant doubt to participate.
Daniel Johnson, a former scoring machine for the Adelaide 36ers, has joined the Phoenix as an injury substitute for Gorjok Gak, the team's backup center, who injured his calf the previous week. Additionally, scoring guard Cummings has returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with a corked thigh.
There were less than 500 tickets left for the battle for Melbourne as of Friday, so it is almost certain that the event will be sold out.