There was a time when John Wall was considered one of the best point guards in basketball.
Nowadays, his contract is considered one of the worst in NBA history and nobody is sure when, or if, he’ll ever take the court again.
John Wall since signing a 4-year, $171M supermax:
• 2019-20 (0 games played, injury)
• 2020-21 (40 games played, injury)
• 2021-22 (0 games played)
Worst contract in NBA history? pic.twitter.com/90dDPip3o9
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 4, 2022
It all goes back to the summer of 2017 when Wall inked a 4-year, $170 million with the Washington Wizards. At the time, he had finished his best season and had made his fourth straight All-Star team.
It was less than two years later when things would start to fall apart.
In December of 2018, the North Carolina native was ruled out for the season after agreeing to foot surgery to address recurring pain in his left heel.
Just a month later, Wall tore his Achilles tendon after a fall in his home, which uncovered an infection from his heel surgery.
The first season Wall’s monster contract kicked in, he didn’t play a single game. In fact, since 2019, Wall has played in just 40 games with no signs that he’ll return soon.
All the while, he has been raking in millions — millions more over the past few unproductive years than Michael Jordan made in his career.
He’s owed roughly $91.7 million over the next two seasons which, to put it into perspective, is nearly identical to what Michael Jordan earned over his entire career with the Bulls.
Compared to his current peers, Wall’s got the third-highest salary in the league, ranking ahead of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and even LeBron James.
With a little over a year left on his deal, the worst of the contract is over now. He will accept his player option, re-join the Rockets and remain in wait until an opportunity arrives. After that, nobody knows what will happen.
But the thought of dishing out $171 million to a guy who has only played 40 games in three years is truly mind-boggling, and the thought of where Wall’s career has landed after such an amazing start is truly dismal.
