Two Reasons Wizards Legend Will Have His Number Retired

The first is his actual play. Wall might not be a sure-fire Hall-of-Fame player, but he is one of the best Wizards players of all time. He is the greatest to wear a Wizards jersey (Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes played while the team was called the Bullets, and never wore a Wizards jersey). The stats also back up this claim, as Wall averaged 19 points, 9.2 assists, and 1.7 steals across nine seasons with the squad. He also made the All-Star team five times in nine seasons.

Wall is also a leader in multiple categories for the franchise. He is first in assists, assists per game, and steals. Wall is also fourth in points (higher than Wes Unseld), eighth in games played, fourth in minutes, third in triple-doubles, and sixth in steals per game. The former guard is a franchise great by how much he is featured in the all-time leader statistics. The stats and accolades should be enough for his number to be retired, but for those that say it is not, I have one more reason.

The impact Wall had not only on the Wizards, but on the DMV as a whole should be enough to have his jersey retired. For a time, DC was not known for its politics, but for its sports because of John Wall. People who were not Wizards fans quickly became fans because of the Kentucky guard. People on the streets were hitting the "Dougie" or "John Wall." That right there is influence and importance to a team and a city.

Before anyone says legacy or anything besides stats is not jersey retirement worthy, there are two prime examples of this being false. The Miami Heat retired number 40 for Udonis Haslem, who averaged 7.5 points per game during his long career with the Heat. The Oklahoma City Thunder retired Nick Collison's number not because of his stats, but his impact on the community. Both these players show you do not need to average insane stats to have your number retired, but can be a symbol for the city.

Wall has the stats and accolades to have his jersey retired, and he is the player many people think of when they think of the Washington Wizards. John Wall is a symbol to the people of Washington, and he deserves to have his number retired and hanging in the rafters.