While there may be some people who constantly try to put a wedge between Washington Wizards teammates John Wall and Bradley Beal, the fact of the matter is these two have a very strong relationship both on and off the court — one that is strong enough to withstand whatever negativity is thrown toward them.

According to Wall himself, he sees no problem with how the Wizards now seem to be building around Beal, considering the fact that Wall's injuries have hindered him from playing his usual significant role for Washington over the last couple of seasons:

“It’s fine. I’ll never hate on Brad,” Wall told Michael Lee of The Athletic. “You got two young stars like me and Brad, we both want to take the last shot, we both want to be the franchise guy, we both want to be that guy. I’ve known Brad for years, before he came into the league. When Brad didn’t make All-Star that one year, I said, ‘It’s crazy, he should’ve made it.' I was vouching for him every day. It’s going to be times on the court, he don’t pass me the ball, I don’t pass him the ball. We’re going to disagree. It happens. It’s basketball. But put him in that platform, this is what he needs, this is what he should be. This is the type of rise, popular spot that Brad deserves, even if I’m there or not there. When I come back, give him the same treatment, because he deserves it. He’s put in the work. He’s earned it. You’ve seen it from Day 1. Even when John Wall is playing, John Wall is not playing. Give him that same stuff, whether I’m there or not there. He don’t have to be in the shadow. I’m the franchise guy because, yeah, I was here before him. He’s right there. There’s no John Wall without Bradley Beal. There’s no Bradley Beal without John Wall. It’s that simple. And I got nothing to hide to say that. I’m a talented basketball player. That ain’t going to get accomplished if we’re not together.”

We see no lies here, and Wall's rather blatant expression of his view on Beal's importance for the squad speaks volumes of Wall's maturity and, of course, his genuine admiration for his teammate and good buddy.

Wall also addresses trade rumors surrounding Beal, and he pleaded for one more shot to succeed:

“I feel like we need one more shot. We need one more run at it. But we’ve got to add some pieces around us, some dogs that can go to war with us. I mean, me and him together, we can go against anybody.”

With Wall out all of next season, that shot won't come until 2020-21, if at all.