Getty Images John Wall of the Rockets greets Bradley Beal of the Wizards
Houston Rockets guard John Wall couldn’t wait to get his hands on his former team – the Washington Wizards – and didn’t back down when he was granted his opportunity to express his feelings towards the Wizards organization.
After playing nine seasons with the Wizards, Wall was dealt to the Rockets during the offseason in exchange for All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. And on Tuesday night, Wall seized his first opportunity for revenge in the form of a 107-88 blowout.
John Wall On Wizards Organization: ‘Feel Like The Organization Thought I Was Done’
He led the Rockets with 24 points. After the game, Wall was asked about the trade and what he thought was the biggest reason Washington traded him to Houston.
“I feel like the organization thought I was done, no matter how much hard work I put in over the summer,” Wall said during a postgame interview on the Rockets’ television broadcast, per ESPN. “They came and watched me. I thought they thought I was done. That’s why I came out here and did what I did.”
Being reunited with his former teammates certainly brought him joy. Wall couldn’t resist smiling in the fourth quarter while the Rockets built a double-digit lead and could smell blood.
Outside of a back-and-forth exchange with Westbrook, the ending of the fourth quarter was a peaceful reunion.
“I don’t have a problem with those guys. They ain’t did nothing wrong to me. Brad [Beal] is a talented basketball player [and also], my brother. Who wouldn’t want to watch a guy like that perform on a high level every night? I definitely want to see him play basketball. Yes, I watch the games,” Wall said per NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes.
“Me and [Thomas Bryant] have a relationship, I want to see him do great. Me and Ish [Smith] go back to being in North Carolina together. Jerome [Robinson] went to the high school that I went to one point in time. Garrison Mathews, we’re pretty cool. He said, man, he missed me. That was pretty interesting to hear after the game. I told him, ‘I wish you the best of luck. Keep playing well. I’m happy you got the opportunity to be on the team and not a two-way guy. Go make yourself some money.’ I think he’s proven a lot of people wrong.”
Rockets’ DeMarcus Cousins On John Wall’s Performance Vs. Wizards: ‘I Didn’t Expect Anything Less’
Now, Wall continues his new chapter in Houston. The Rockets captured their third consecutive win and for the first time in the infant stage of the post-James Harden era, things are looking up.
John’s already made a believer out of one of his teammates – DeMarcus Cousins – who wasn’t surprised to see his point guard deliver a terrific game against the team that drafted Wall over a decade ago.
“I’ve known this guy [Wall] for a long time,” Cousins said after the game, via ESPN. “I’ve seen his approach to big games and games that have some type of importance to him. I’ve seen him perform every time at a high level, so I didn’t expect anything less.”
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