Retired NBA star John Wall is returning to basketball in the nation’s capital.
Wall, the face of the Washington Wizards during a nine-year stint, is the new president of basketball operations at Howard University, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Howard, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and a member of the MEAC, finished 24-11 last season. The Bison won the program’s first NCAA Tournament game, a First Four contest against UMBC.
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“Wall has already taken a hands-on approach to the role at Howard, playing an active role in team meetings and evaluations of recruits and transfer targets. He has helped shape the program’s overall strategic vision,” Charania reported. “He will work alongside Howard coach Kenny Blakeney and team general manager Daniel Marks in the new capacity.”
Wall retired in August after an 11-year career with the Wizards, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. Washington selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. With the Wizards, Wall averaged 19 points and 8.9 assists. He made five consecutive NBA All-Star appearances between 2013-14 and 2017-18.
Injuries prevented Wall from reaching his full potential in the NBA. He played a maximum of 41 games during his final four seasons in the league.
During his retirement announcement, Wall hinted at a future position in the game of basketball. He spent this past season as an NBA analyst for Amazon Prime Video.
“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.”
According to Charania, Howard is one of five mid-major programs to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons.
