Mar 20, 2010; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard John Wall (11) celebrates a basket by a teammate against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the second half in the second round of the 2010 NCAA mens basketball tournament at the New Orleans Arena. Kentucky defeated Wake Forest 90-60. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-Imagn Images Crystal LoGiudice-Imagn Images

Reliving John Wall's charmed season at Kentucky amid his retirement announcement

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 1:21 PM ET

Not only was John Wall one of the best one-and-done players in Kentucky basketball history he was also one of the most loved Kentucky basketball players of this century.

Wall took college basketball by storm with his signature dance that he broke out at Midnight Madness.

As a freshman at Kentucky, Wall averaged 16.6 points, 6.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 46.1% from the field.

Without question, Wall is a Kentucky legend and will always be a fan favorite in Lexington. Let's take a look at some of Wall's most memorable moments of his Kentucky career.

John Wall's most memorable Kentucky basketball moments

The John Wall Dance at Midnight Madness

The event where all of the players were introduced to Big Blue Nation was called Midnight Madness back in the day, and during his season in Lexington, Wall became the star of the show with his signature dance. During the season, the John Wall dance took over the nation. Kentucky fans still do the dance to this day, and this likely won't stop any time soon.

Big Performances in the back-to-back wins over UConn and North Carolina

Early into Wall's freshman season, the Kentucky Wildcats took on North Carolina and UConn in back-to-back games. The Wildcats took down UNC 68-66 and took down UConn 64-61. Wall scored 16 points in the win over the Tar Heels and 25 in the win over #12 UConn. While he was scoring a lot in games against lesser competition his performance in these games proved just how bright of a star Wall was.

Game winner vs. Miami of Ohio

In Kentucky's first game of the season, Wall and the Wildcats took on Miami of Ohio in Rupp Arena. It was a back-and-forth game that came down to the wire, but with the game tied 70-70 with under ten seconds left on the clock, Wall drilled a jump shot to win the game 72-70 for the Wildcats.

For Kentucky fans born around the year 2000, Wall is the player who made them fall in love with college basketball. Today is a wonderful day to celebrate the career of a Kentucky basketball legend as he decided to hang them up.