John Wall, once the starter at point guard when Houston began its recent rebuild in the 2020-21 season, has officially retired from the NBA.
John Wall, a five-time NBA All-Star and a member of the Houston Rockets for multiple years, has retired from basketball. The former point guard made the announcement Tuesday via his social media accounts.
“Today, I’m stepping off the court but not away from the game,” Wall said in a video posted to his Instagram and X accounts. “Basketball will always be in my life. As new opportunities present themselves, I feel now is the time to walk confidently into my next chapter.”
Wall was selected by Washington at No. 1 overall in the first round of the 2010 NBA draft. All five of his All-Star appearances came with the Wizards.
In 40 games with the Rockets during the 2020-21 season, Wall averaged a team-high 20.6 points (40.4% FG, 31.7% on 3-pointers) and 6.9 assists per game. He was acquired by the Rockets in December 2020 as part of a blockbuster trade sending Russell Westbrook to Washington.
Wall remained on the roster during Houston’s subsequent 2021-22 season but did not play, with the then-rebuilding Rockets prioritizing guard repetitions for younger options — namely, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green.
Wall and the Rockets then reached a contract buyout agreement in the 2022 offseason. The Kentucky product went on to play as a reserve with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022-23 season, and that proved to be his final NBA campaign.
In the 2024-25 season, Wall began doing on-camera work as an NBA analyst and broadcaster, and Tuesday’s announcement suggests that could remain a possibility moving forward.