Five-time NBA All-Star John Wall has agreed to become the president of basketball operations at Howard, one of the top-ranked historically Black universities in the country, the program announced Thursday.
Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, returns to Washington — where Howard is located — after starring for the Wizards for nine seasons from 2010 to 2019. The idea of Wall and Howard collaborating was first established when Wall attended a game in January as an honorary captain, addressed the team pregame, and sat courtside.
Wall told Howard general manager and NIL strategist Daniel Marks that he wanted to work in an NBA front office one day, and the team began brainstorming how Wall could fit into its program.
Wall joined Prime Video as an NBA analyst for its inaugural season after announcing his retirement in August 2025. He has already begun working with Howard’s men’s basketball staff, sharing texts with staff and watching the Bison’s NCAA Tournament run. Now, Wall’s role will span multiple areas, including but not limited to player evaluation, mentorship and recruitment, in the hopes of helping Wall grow in the front-office role and elevate Howard’s program.
“He’s an extremely sharp basketball mind, and to be able to add his perspective to the group is a tremendous opportunity,” Marks told The Athletic.
Howard finished 24-11 this season and earned its first NCAA Tournament win in March when it narrowly defeated nearby UMBC 86-83 in the First Four. The Bison lost to national champion Michigan in the first round, but they scored more points against Michigan than any of the Wolverines’ other opponents in the tournament. Howard is one of five teams out of 222 teams that compete in one-bid leagues to qualify for the tournament three of the last four seasons.
Wall played one season each with the Houston Rockets and LA Clippers, but his career was defined by his seven seasons playing alongside Bradley Beal in Washington (Wall played his first two seasons in Washington before Beal’s arrival). He won the 2014 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and played his best season in 2016-17, when he averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists on 45 percent shooting from the field in 78 games.
Wall was named an All-Star that year and was named to the All-NBA third team. The Wizards finished fourth in the Eastern Conference before losing to the Boston Celtics in the East semifinals. He was one of the fastest and most athletic players in the league during his stint. He recorded a 3.14-second three-quarter court sprint at the NBA Draft Combine. He averaged 10.0 assists and 1.7 steals and was named to the All-Defensive second team following the 2015 season.
However, several injuries halted Wall’s career growth. He missed the first 33 games of the 2012-2013 season due to a knee injury and underwent double knee surgery in 2016. He missed 27 games during the 2017-18 season due to left knee surgery and missed the entire 2019-20 season after rupturing his left Achilles tendon.
Wall’s new role follows a trend of former or current NBA players taking managerial roles at universities. Golden State Warriors phenom Stephen Curry accepted a role to become the assistant general manager at his alma mater, Davidson College. Curry played three seasons for the Wildcats. Wizards guard Trae Young agreed last year to become Oklahoma’s assistant general manager. Shaquille O’Neal agreed in April 2025 to become Sacramento State’s general manager of men’s basketball.
The hope is that Wall’s level of expertise and affiliation with the program will increase brand and national recognition, and companies will desire to be affiliated with the Bison. Those possibilities would be an added plus for Wall, who is fulfilling a dream by helping to add to the program’s rich history.
“This partnership was never about money on either side,” Marks said. “That kind of spirit of giving back and impacting lives is what (Howard) and our program are about. Being able to add a person who cares about the community, who has the basketball knowledge and the savviness that John has, is just going to elevate what coach (Kenny Blakeney) calls the ‘dream factory’ to another level.”
