Many pundits have blasted Washington Wizards point guard John Wall for his $171 million supermax contract that kicks in this upcoming season. With all this criticism going his way, the former No. 1 overall pick is motivated to prove his naysayers wrong.
In an interview with Michael Lee of The Athletic, Wall claimed he deserved the extension he signed in 2017:
“No, I love it. It fuels me. (The 20)16-17 (season) was my best year. (Averaged) 23 (points) and 11 (assists). John Wall is a top-two point guard. I get injured. John Wall is not a top-five point guard? Now, because I’m injured, I can’t defend myself. Now I’ve got the worst contract ever? That’s fine. I deserved that contract. My whole mindset is – it’s in my notes – I didn’t deserve it? When I come back, I’m going to show them I earned it. I never want a handout. I always worked for mine. A lot of guys got a lot of stuff that’s given. Never made McDonald’s All-American. Took national player of the year away from me when I was in college. OK, I’m the No. 1 pick. I’m going to prove myself. You get the hype. I look back at it. My ’09 class in high school, I can only name probably nine guys in the league. Out of my draft class, it’s maybe eight guys in the league. It is what it is.”
Wall is currently recovering from a debilitating torn Achilles he suffered in February this year.
The five-time All-Star's game is very dependent on his speed and athleticism. Thus, after Wall ruptured his Achilles, some have wondered if his career as a star in the NBA is effectively over. Given he's already projected for a major decline, critics believe Wall has arguably the worst contract in the league. Some have even deemed him untradable at this point due to his current deal.
All this negative chatter about him should only motivate Wall to prove he's worth every penny the Wizards invested in him in 2017.
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