John Wall’s mixtape was the best ever, and his NBA retirement is perfect excuse to rewatch it

John Wall hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2022-2023 season when he appeared in 34 games with the Los Angeles Clippers. Really, John Wall hasn’t been John Wall — the speed freak, the downhill demon, the electrifying scorer and playmaker who brought the Wizards back to life in the 2010s — since he ruptured his Achilles in Feb. 2019, effectively ending his prime at age-28.

Wall announced his retirement from basketball on Tuesday. He leaves the game as a five-time NBA All-Star with one All-NBA selection (Third-Team in 2017) and one All-Defense selection (Second-Team in 2015). The Wizards never made it further than the second round during his heyday with Bradley Beal, but Wall will be remembered as one of the most exciting players of his era with physical gifts and a personal charm that couldn’t be taught, and multiple clutch moments along the way.

Wall felt like a player sent straight from the future as he emerged as John Calipari’s first mega-star recruit at Kentucky. Wall was already a big deal before he ever stepped foot on campus: he was the No. 2 overall recruit in the country in 2009 behind Derrick Favors, and he had already amassed massive national interest because of his incredible high school mixtapes.

The internet of 2009 was nothing like the internet of today, but Wall’s ability to captivate of the minds of young basketball fans made him something like an early viral sensation. Wall’s mixtape showed the total package: pure showmanship matched with ridiculous dunks, 360 passes, and an audacious handle. In 2014, I ranked the best high school mixtapes ever, and put Wall’s at No. 1. Today, it has more than 10 million views on YouTube and continues to stand the test of time.

Wall felt like the perfect point guard prospect. He had elite positional size at the time at 6’4, and his passing vision and creativity was off the charts. He teamed with DeMarcus ‘Boogie’ Cousins for Calipari’s first freshman super team in Lexington, advancing to the Elite Eight before a devastating loss to Joe Mazzulla’s West Virginia team. Wall was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, and he was expected to be the Wizards franchise savior. While he was never quite that, he will still go down as one of the better players in franchise history.

Wall led the Wizards to a playoff series win twice in his career. His greatest moment came in the 2017 playoffs as the Wizards were facing elimination against the Boston Celtics in Game 6. Wall drained a go-ahead three-pointer with under four seconds left to force a Game 7.

Injuries eventually sapped Wall of his gifts. He missed the entire 2019-2020 season as he rehabbed his torn Achilles, and by the time he got healthy, the Wizards had traded him to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook. Wall had more injury issues in Houston, sat out the entire 2021-22 season, and finished his career with a short stint on the Clippers.

Wall has already been doing some work as a studio analyst, and he’s really good at it. Hopefully he can stay around the game. Wall should still be hooping at 34 years old, but his body betrayed him. Salute to Wall. Go watch his high school mixtape again. There’s still nothing like it.