John Wall is making his return to Washington D.C.
More than 15 years after being selected No. 1 overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft, it has been announced that Wall will become the president of basketball operations at Howard University.
Wall officially retired from the NBA in August 2025, though the last time he officially played was in 2023. He spent 2010 to 2020 with the Wizards, and at the height of his powers, he was one of the most explosive and athletic point guards in the league. That’s not to mention his defensive abilities, which were elite. He made the NBA’s All-Defensive second team in 2014-15.
A five-time All-Star, Wall served as Howard’s honorary team captain this past January. That’s where the idea to team up with the school came about, and per Shams Charania of ESPN, Wall expressed the desire to be a president of basketball operations in the NBA one day.
Getting this gig at Howard is the first step in the journey, and Wall is taking it seriously.
“Wall has already taken a hands-on approach to the role at Howard, playing an active role in team meetings and evaluations of recruits and transfer targets,” Charania reported. “He has helped shape the program’s overall strategic vision with focus on roster management, name, image and likeness deals, revenue sharing, agent negotiations and player mentorship. He will work alongside Howard coach Kenny Blakeney and team general manager Daniel Marks in the new capacity.”
Howard basketball is on the rise with John Wall now in the fold
Howard has an up-and-coming mid-major program. The Bison went 24-11 last season and were first in the MEAC. They’ve made the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons, and this year, they won their first NCAA Tournament game in school history.
Howard beat UMBC in the First Four before losing to the Michigan Wolverines, the eventual NCAA champion, in the first round.
Head coach Kenny Blakeney is 97-107 in seven seasons, but he’s really got his program on the right track. The 2022-23 MEAC Coach of the Year, he’ll now have the insight and experience of Wall in his back pocket.
Wall averaged 18.7 points and 8.9 assists per game at the NBA level. In one season with the Kentucky Wildcats in college, he averaged 16.6 points and 6.5 assists per game.
