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
John Wall, a five-time NBA All-Star, has praised the National Basketball League's increasing influence on the NBA draft in light of the rise of a number of Next Gen players up the selection boards.
John Wall, a former first overall choice in the NBA draft, has not completely ruled out playing in the NBL.
But the co-owner of the South East Melbourne Phoenix has a clear ambition right now: make it back to the NBA.
With his trainer in tow, the five-time NBA All Star is making his first trip down under to watch Sunday's throwdown between his side and Melbourne United at John Cain Arena.
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. My current aspiration is to play basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA), which is where my heart resides.
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.
You never know what the future holds for anyone, but like I said before, my primary concentration is still on the National Basketball Association (NBA). However, down the road, if that doesn't work out, if I still want to play, and if I still love the game, you just never know.
As a result, I won't ever give the NBL a firm refusal.
After an impressive career at the University of Kentucky, Wall was selected first overall in the 2010 NBA draft and played for nine seasons with the Washington Wizards. His best years were cut short by injuries, most notably a ruptured Achilles in 2019 that required months of rehabilitation and sparked fears he would lose his foot. He averaged nearly 20 points and 10 assists in his 647-game NBA career and was once considered one of the league's fastest players.
Wall is part of an ownership group that includes entrepreneur Romie Chaudhari and other 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.
He has only been in Melbourne since Thursday, but the Phoenix squad he has seen so far has impressed him. They are currently in the playoff picture and have a number of returning 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 we have a strong team; the key to success in any sport is for players to avoid injury.
Keep working hard and developing rapport with one another. If the boys can stay healthy and work together, they could really make something happen.
Wall claims that the basketball community in the United States is finally taking the Australian league seriously because so many future NBA draft picks have opted 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's fantastic news, and it's clearly on the right track.
The larger it becomes, the more people learn about it.
"As a team owner, I'm trying to get the word out to guys (in the US) that this is a fantastic league and an incredible opportunity," he said.
The ball distributor mentioned that he had been keeping an eye on Illawarra Next Star AJ Johnson, a teenager who is brothers with Wall's ex-Houston colleague Jalen Green.
Because "Jalen is like a big brother to him," Wall remarked, "I know AJ Johnson pretty well."
More and more young players are beginning their professional careers in the NBL after witnessing the success of players like Lamelo Ball and RJ Hampton.
Wall follows the Phoenix closely, but he usually watches replays owing to the time difference with the United States. However, on Sunday afternoon, he plans to attend his first live game, a throwdown, in front of a sold-out John Cain Arena crowd.
"I always want to try to grow basketball throughout the world," he said, "and to have the opportunity to be an owner is exciting for me." He added that he was looking forward to attending his first game as an owner on Sunday.
"I've heard everything there is to hear about the rivalry, and all I can do is hope that we come out on top."
United now hold the top spot in the NBL standings with an 8-2 record, but the Phoenix, who are currently in second place with a 6-4 record, are closing in on them quickly.
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.
United has suffered another major loss with the withdrawal of star guard Matthew Dellavedova from the throwdown due to a sore calf sustained on Monday night.
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.
