John Wall's return to Washington understandably brought back a lot of memories to the new Houston Rockets guard. After all, it was his first time to play in the arena since his mother passed away two years ago.
Per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports, Wall reminisced on his late mother Frances Pulley, who passed away in 2019 after a long bout with cancer.
John Wall said it occurred to him tonight it was his first time playing in D.C. since his mom passed away: "She would have been there in Row 10."
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) February 16, 2021
Apart from his mother, Wall was a tad bit emotional on returning to Washington, especially on not seeing fans in the arena. For what it's worth, D.C. was the city that embraced him and the place he called home in his first nine years in the NBA before he was sent to the Rockets.
John Wall on not having Wizards fans there for his return: "It was difficult. I played for the fans and I played for the city."
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) February 16, 2021
John Wall's relationship with his mother has been well-documented. When he inked a five-year, $80 million contract extension with the Wizards, the guard turned emotional on explaining how big of a role his mother played in his life.
“It was like a breathtaking moment, seeing my mom and seeing everything she worked for,” the now-Rockets guard said at the time, per the Washington Post. “I mean, I do this because I love the game of basketball and I love playing it, but you also do it for her, as a single parent and what she had to do to raise us and I feel I’m fortunate enough to have the opportunity, especially, to take care of her for the rest of her life and do other things in the community.”
When Wall was inducted into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017, the Rockets star also asked his mother to stand up to be recognized by everyone in attendance.
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