John Wall Reflects On Painful Wizards Exit: 'I Never Wanted To Leave'

John Wall’s recent appearance on The Dawg Talk Podcast offered a vulnerable look into the heartbreak and confusion surrounding his departure from the Washington Wizards, the team that drafted him first overall in 2010 and where he spent the prime years of his career. For Wall, leaving D.C. wasn’t a choice. It was a jarring separation from the only NBA family he’d ever known.

"Oh, devastating. Yeah, I mean, I was one of those players that always wanted to play for one organization. I mean, you understand it's a business. But at the time, it was difficult to deal with because I had just lost my mom the year before that. Then COVID is going on." 

"So I'm fighting hard to get back to, 'OK, now I'm finally healthy. Now I can get back into the league. Now I can play and show what I did.' And I just remember the day before training camp, I come across a ticket. I'm like, I just had a feeling, though. You know, you get a feeling. You just get that feeling and know what it is."

"And I was kind of just praying about it and talking about it. And it’s like my mom was saying, 'You need a fresh start.' I didn't want a fresh start. I wanted to be here. This is where it’s at, you know what I mean? This is home." 

"They adopted me like I was from there. So I never wanted to leave, but it was part of the business. And the older you get, you think about it and can reflect on it. But at the time, with what I was going through, my darkest times, I just didn’t understand it, and I was trying to figure out how to get through it."

Washington wasn’t just a team to John Wall, it was an identity. Drafted in 2010, Wall quickly emerged as one of the league’s most electrifying point guards. He averaged 19 points and 9.2 assists over nine seasons with the Wizards. 

His peak came in the 2016–17 season, when he averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists, led the team to a 49-win season, and helped push Washington to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics. That playoff run remains the franchise’s best showing since the 1970s.

Wall’s speed, court vision, and defensive instincts made him a cornerstone in the capital. He was a five-time All-Star with the Wizards and one of the most respected floor generals in the game. His connection with Bradley Beal was electric, his leadership passionate, and his loyalty unquestionable. 

That’s what made the 2020 trade to the Houston Rockets, after years of injuries and uncertainty, so painful. Wall wasn’t just leaving a team. He was being ripped away from a city that had embraced him like one of its own.

Since that trade, Wall’s NBA career has been on pause. He played 40 games for the Houston Rockets and briefly suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2023, but has been out of the league since. 

Yet, his story isn’t over. Wall is still trying to make a comeback. Recently, he was spotted in a gritty, high-intensity training session going toe-to-toe with fellow NBA journeyman Michael Beasley, exchanging buckets in a private gym workout that looked more like a statement than a scrimmage.

At 34, Wall still believes he can contribute. And emotionally, he's fueled by the desire to reclaim what was taken from him, not just by injury, but by the business of basketball. Reflecting on his exit, Wall now understands the necessity of change, but the wound is still fresh. 

Whether or not he returns to the NBA, John Wall’s bond with the Washington Wizards remains unbroken.