Former NBA No. 1 pick John Wall retires

Published 11:12 am Tuesday, August 19, 2025

John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and five-time NBA All-Star as point guard of the Washington Wizards, has retired as a player, he announced on his social media accounts Tuesday.

“Today, I’m stepping off the court but not away from the game,” Wall said in a video posted on his Instagram and X accounts. “Basketball will always be in my life. As new opportunities present themselves, I feel now is the time to walk confidently into my next chapter.”

Wall played 11 NBA seasons, nine of them with the Wizards, followed by one-year stints with the Houston Rockets and LA Clippers.

He averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 assists per game during his career with the Wizards after the franchise drafted him out of Kentucky, making him the centerpiece of a franchise revival. With Wall running the offense and flanked by shooting guard Bradley Beal, the Wizards made four playoff appearances, reaching the second round on three occasions.

Beal, Wall’s teammate and backcourt duo in Washington for eight seasons, congratulated Wall on his career via his Instagram.

Wall is the Wizards’ franchise career leader in total assists (5,282) and total steals (976). He ranks fourth in total points (10,879), trailing only Elvin Hayes, Beal and Jeff Malone.

Injuries to his left heel and a ruptured Achilles tendon interrupted his career and sapped his blinding end-to-end speed. In 2020, the Wizards traded him and a protected first-round pick to the Rockets for Russell Westbrook.

Wall’s final NBA season was in 2022-23, playing in 34 games as a member of the Clippers.