30 Mind Blowing Facts About John Wall Jr. We Bet You Every Fan Should Know

25 June 2019, 3:10 pm EDT By Ruby Karnick

John Wall Jr., who currently plays for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA), is also world renowned for his work, to end homelessness with his donation of $400,000 to Bright Beginnings, for which he was honored with the Stewart B. McKinney Award. Here are some facts about the American professional basketball player:

Nicknamed Optimus Dime, John Wall is an American professional basketball player known for his blazing speed and explosive athleticism.
He was born Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. on September 6, 1990, in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, to Frances Pulley an John Carroll Wall Jr. He has a sister, Cierra, an older half-brother, John Carroll Wall Jr. and an older half-sister, Tonya.
His father John Sr. was imprisoned for armed robbery of a convenience store and for second-degree murder for much of his adult life. At the weekend he would visit his father in prison never really understanding the gravity of the situation.
After his father was diagnosed with liver cancer, he was discharged in 1998 and subsequently passed away on August 24, 1999, at the age of 52. As an 8 year old the loss of his father affected him tremendously and he became bitter and angry.
He was raised by his mother who worked a variety of jobs, including driving a small bus for children and working at a hotel. His sister also worked to bring money in.
He attended Garner Magnet High School in Garner, North Carolina and later moved to Needham B. Broughton High School. Due to attitude problem he was transferred to Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh.
Around the age of 12, he joined Amateur Athletic Union program with Garner Road and later joined D-One Sports basketball squad. With the help of Dwon Clifton, Brian Clifton, Levi Beckwith, and John Calipari, along the way, he slowly emerged from the tag of ‘Crazy-J’ into the No. 1 high school basketball player in America.
In the summer of 2007, he distinguished himself during the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia by scoring 28 points in a game that featured Brandon Jennings, the top point guard in the class of 2008. He also earned co-MVP honors in the 2008 Elite 24 Hoops Classic.
As a fifth year senior in 2009, Wall averaged 19.7 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists and racked up triple-double on regular basis in leading Holy Rams, to finals of the State 1-A Championship.
At the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit in Potland, Oregan, he emerged the summit leader in assist and steals as he recorded 11 assists, 5 steals apart from 13 points. He went on participate in the 2009 Jordon Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden where he notched up 6 assists.

On May 4 2009, Wall was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering in connection with an April 27 afternoon break-in at an unoccupied house for sale at 3924, Laurel Glen Drive in Raleigh. He was not arrested but was given a citation.
Despite offers from Duke, Georgia, and Kansas, Wall chose University of Kentucky, as he followed John Calipari to Lexington. In his first appearance for the Wildcats against the Golden Eagles, Wall excelled with 27 points and 9 assists in just 28 minutes of play time.
He ended his collegiate career averaging 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks with 34.8 minutes of play time in 37 games. He holds Kentucky single game assists record with 16 and on September 22, 2017, he was inducted into Kentucky Athletic Hall of fame.
Forgoing his final three season of collegiate eligibility he entered NBA draft and was selected as first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by Washington Wizards.
A day earlier Rebook signed-up Wall as its first basketball athlete to wear a shoe that use the ZigTech Slash, which generate Kinetic energy to user to enhance explosion.
The Mayor of Washington D.C, Adrian Fenty honored Wall, by declaring June 25, 2010, as ‘John Wall Day,’ and handed over a plague during his Washington Wizards presser.
Playing in the 2010 NBA Summer League, he led the league in points, rebounds, and assists by averaging 23.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 32.3 minutes per game. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the league.
Wall made his NBA debut on October 28, against Orlando Magic and in his third game he tied a franchise record with nine steals. He also became the second player in NBA history to get nine assists or more in each of his first three games.
In just his sixth NBA game, Wall posted 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists, to record his first triple-double in a win against the Houston Rockets on November 10, 2010, to become the fourth youngest player in NBA history to do so.
He ended the 2010-11, season win 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting. Earlier in the year he was named 2011 Rookie Game Most Valuable Player during the All-Star Weekend.

Wall was out of action for about three month due to a non-traumatic stress injury in his left patella diagnosed. He returned to action on January 12, 2013, against Hawks, scoring 14 points, and 4 assists for its sixth win off the season.
At the end of the 2012-13, season Wall recorded 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. During the season he also registered his then career-high 47 points and 16 assists.
On July 31, 2013, he signed a contract extension with Wizards for five-year worth approximately $80 million. In his three seasons with Wizards, he has averaged 16.9 points, 8 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5steals in 35.8 minutes of play time in 184 games.
Wall won the slam dunk contest during the All-Star contest held In February 2014. Wall took the ball from Wizards mascot G-Man, who held it above his head, then brought it down between his legs and slammed down a reverse dunk.
Wall got emotional after registering the best game of his life when scored 26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and then a career-high 17 assists in a double overtime 133-132 win over Boston Celtics. He dedicated the win to his close friend a six-year old Damiyah Telemaque-Nelson, who had died of cancer.
Wall made his second straight All-Star appearance and first start when he was named to the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. He is the first Wizards starter since Gilbert Arenas in 2007 and went on to make four more All-Star appearances in his career.
On November 7, 2016, he scored 21 points and 8 assists for a losing cause against Rockets. In the process he broke Wes Unseld’s franchise record of career assists and ended up with 3, 827.
With six steals against Hornets on December 14, 2016, Wall became the Wizards franchise leader in steals, surpassing Greg Ballard’s 762. He went on to accumulate 976 steals in 573 games.
In September 2016, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty awarded the Stewart B. McKinney Award for his work to end homelessness. Wall had donated $400,000 to Bright Beginnings, an organization that helps homeless youth.
On November 26, 2018, in a 135-131 overtime win over Rockets, Wall registered 36 points and 11 assists. In the process he surpassed Wes Unseld’s points aggregate for third place on the franchise career scoring list. He has to his credit 10,879 points in 573 games.