John Wall

Making his Clippers debut against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, Wall was back like he never left, knocking down his first shot after he checked ...

As Wall helped the Clippers to a 103-97 victory — their eighth in a row over the Lakers — players around the league, past and present took to Twitter to show the former No.1 pick love. Making his Clippers debut against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, Wall was back like he never left, knocking down his first shot after he checked into the game midway through the first quarter. It's been a tough few years for LA Clippers point guard John Wall as injuries limited him to just 72 games over the past four seasons.

During the John Calipari era at Kentucky, has their been a player more popular than John Wall? Maybe Anthony Davis or Oscar Tshiebwe come to mind, ...

He looked healthy and had a burst to his play. He didn’t spend much time in Houston before he received a buyout from the team. Wall was named an all star in four of those seasons and received several other accolades as a Wizard. But after last night’s season opener for LA, it appears he’s found the perfect home. Wall then was able to hit the free agent market where he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was also the first overall pick in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards after just one season with the Wildcats. Lions - ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34840362/dak-prescott-says-start-qb-cowboys-vs-lions) Wall scored 15 points, dished out three assists and grabbed four rebounds. But then the injuries came and they stayed longer than anyone could have expected. [Rypien shares Broncos QB reps with Wilson limited - ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34840638/brett-rypien-gets-broncos-qb-reps-russell-wilson-limited) Wall was the top recruit and best player on Calipari’s first Kentucky team. [Stoops on Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List - KSR](https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/mark-stoops-on-paul-bear-bryant-coach-of-the-year-award-watch-list/)

LOS ANGELES — Mere seconds after Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James revved up the home crowd with a transition dunk late in the third quarter Thursday ...

[In a recent essay](https://signature.theplayerstribune.com/john-wall-nba-basketball-los-angeles-clippers/p/1), Wall said he had [battled suicidal thoughts](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/22/john-wall-suicide-essay/?itid=lk_inline_manual_30) following his mother’s 2019 death after a fight with breast cancer, and that he had felt “devastated” by his trade from the Wizards to the Rockets. Wall admitted he is “used to being the guy with the ball all the time” and that he is still adjusting to playing off Leonard and George when they are running the show. But he wore a wide smile Thursday, knowing that this third act with the Clippers amounts to a genuine second chance. The Clippers have reached the playoffs in nine of the past 10 seasons, including a first trip to the Western Conference finals in 2021. The Clippers can lapse into a deliberative style when they play through Leonard, and the front office envisions Wall providing a change of pace with his transition instincts. With Wall on the books for $44 million last year and $47 million this year, Houston was unable to generate traction in trade scenarios, leaving Wall as a helpless bystander. [signed a four-year, $170 million contract extension](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2017/07/21/john-wall-agrees-to-four-year-supermax-extension-with-the-wizards/?itid=lk_inline_manual_15) with the Wizards in 2017, missed the entire 2019-20 season with an Achilles’ injury and was traded to the Rockets for Russell Westbrook in December 2020. While Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 40 appearances in 2020-21, the Rockets elected to sit him out for all of last season to create greater opportunities for their young backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr. Wall responded by drilling a key jumper to give the Clippers a six-point lead with just over three minutes remaining. When his shot found the net, pushing the Clippers’ lead back to double digits, Wall pushed the palms of his hands toward the floor for emphasis. In a sign of Wall’s new lot in life, his stellar return wasn’t even the Clippers’ most important comeback on this night. But the ball found Wall after James’s thunderous slam, and he freed himself for a midrange jumper with a sharply executed crossover and behind-the-back combination.

The Los Angeles Clippers passed their first test of the 2022-23 season with a 103-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

It was fair to wonder what Wall had left in the tank. The Clippers beat the Lakers without playing anywhere near their best basketball. Playing in his first game since April 23, 2021, Wall's 15 points was tied with Paul George for most on the Clippers.

Wall, already traded for Westbrook once in 2020, would have been the return. Depending on the construction of the trade, the Lakers could have retained both ...

The Lakers could have had Wall. If given the chance to go back to last February and change their minds on a proposed Wall deal, the Lakers likely say no a second time. The Clippers have limitless shooting, which maximizes Wall as a playmaker. Wall likely would have been a good deal better than Westbrook for the Lakers. Without the shooting that payroll flexibility and a trade involving those picks would have brought, it's fair to wonder how effectively Wall could have played off James and Davis. The Clippers can afford an injury to a $6 million backup. There are the two stars, [Paul George](/nba/players/1755181/paul-george/) and [Kawhi Leonard](/nba/players/1715792/kawhi-leonard/), who both spurned the Lakers as free agents. The Clippers are paying him $6 million as a taxpayer mid-level signing. The Lakers pursued both [Reggie Jackson](/nba/players/1646017/reggie-jackson/) and [Nicolas Batum](/nba/players/1622493/nicolas-batum/) as free agents once the received buyouts. The 16 he helped them score on Thursday would have ranked third a season ago. In 25 minutes off the bench, Wall scored 15 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. [Los Angeles Clippers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/LAC/los-angeles-clippers/) have this pesky habit of landing players who have, at one time or another, been linked to the rival [Lakers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/LAL/los-angeles-lakers/).