"Returning to the only team I’ve known in my professional career was an easy decision for me. I want to thank my family, Mr. Leonsis, Ernie Grunfeld, all of my coaches and my teammates for their amazing support over the last seven years. I understand my role as the leader of this franchise and I will continue to work hard to improve my game and make our team better. Washington, D.C., is my second home and I take seriously my efforts in the community and look forward to strengthening that bond. Our fans are amazing and I’m excited to bring them and this city continued success and a team they can be proud of."
D.C. is John Wall's city.
CAREER
HIGHS
The 2010 number one pick in the draft has developed into one of the league's household names, and the Wizards made sure that he'd be in D.C. to stay this week with a multi-year extension. After attending his fourth consecutive All-Star Game in 2017, he was also named to his first All-NBA team and is now widely considered to be not just one of the league's elite point guards, but one of the NBA's premiere talents.
THIRD TEAM
ALL-NBA
4x ALL-STAR
2016-17
AT A GLANCE
WALL'S CAREER IN HIGHLIGHTS
With the year he had, it's easy to forget how it began, which was one filled with health questions after he had procedures done on both knees last summer. Entering training camp, it wasn't known if he would be ready to play the opener, although if anyone asked him off the record there was never a chance he felt he was missing the start of the season. In typical Wall fashion, he returned to playing back-to-backs earlier than anticipated and by mid-November he was nearly back to full strength.
It wouldn't matter what kind of numbers Wall put up or what awards he won if the team didn't win, and that's the first thing he would say when asked about his accomplishments. But in 2016-17, he led the team to its first division title in almost 40 years with 49 wins, the most since the 1978-79 season. Because of Wall, the Wizards went from missing the playoffs to a top-4 team in the East.
LOCKED IN.
JOHN
While Wall set a handful of records and put up gaudy numbers during the regular season, his signature moment came at Verizon Center during the 2017 playoffs. It was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals and the Wiz were trailing by two in the game and 3-2 in the series. The season was literally on the line and the ball was in Wall's hands. He stepped up and knocked down the biggest shot of his career, a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left that will be remembered for decades. Following the win, he leaped up onto the scorer's table and let the people know...
The best part about all of this? Wall may just be entering his prime now. He'll turn 27 in September and has seven seasons of NBA experience under his belt, and three trips deep into the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He's someone that won't be satisfied until he's on top, both individually and from a team standpoint. That means MVP's, All-NBA first teams and an NBA championship. He has continued to grow each year on the court, but what can't be quantified has been his growth as a leader. He's now the backbone of this team and has earned the respect, trust, and commitment from his teammates, which has put this franchise on a path towards long-term success.
