Wall leaves NBL door open

Five-time NBA All-Star John Wall has left the door open to playing for the South East Melbourne Phoenix one day, saying “you never know what the future might hold”.

Wall is a part owner of the Phoenix and is in Melbourne ahead of Sunday’s Throwdown between Phoenix and United.

The 33-year-old worked out at South East Melbourne’s training on Friday morning, decked out in Phoenix gear, but stopped short of guaranteeing he will play in the NBL.

“You never know what the future might hold down the road. I’m not going to make promises,” Wall said.

The 2010 number one pick did highlight how thrilled he was to receive the South East Melbourne merchandise, with an eye to showcasing it back home.

“They surprised me, I came with my own workout stuff, and they said, we got shorts, we got a jersey, and I turn around and it had my college number with my name on the back,” Wall said.

“I was super excited and it’s some memorabilia I get to take back home, and hopefully I can have all the guys sign it before I leave and put it in my little trophy case.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A familiar face in Heartland green ?<a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SEMelbPhoenix</a> part-owner and five-time NBA All-Star <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnWall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnWall</a> was spotted in the Hoop City lab ?‍? <a href="https://t.co/f4bA1oTFrG">pic.twitter.com/f4bA1oTFrG</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1722774434120188260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wall has a friendship with Phoenix owner Romie Chaudhari, which led to him buying into the club.

He has since been impressed with the NBL, pointing to the Next Stars program to highlight the growth of the league.

“Whenever you have a league like this that’s amazing, that’s growing, and trying to grow even more and trying to get more ownership ... people come here,” Wall said

“You get guys out of high school that aren’t going to college, they’re not going overseas to Euroleague, they’re coming here ... it’s super dope for us and it’s super exciting.

“It started with LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton and those guys, and then you got the guys we have like AJ Johnson and those guys coming here ... it’s dope.  

“The league is growing and I’m super excited to be part of it.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">?? “I’m excited to be here, I want to be hands on and I can’t wait for the game on Sunday!” - <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnWall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnWall</a><br><br>?? Limited tickets available at Ticketek for Sunday’s Throwdown! <a href="https://t.co/dpBBjYqIXn">pic.twitter.com/dpBBjYqIXn</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1722836115911221730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wall revealed he will spend a lot of his time in Australia with the South East Melbourne roster, discussing how they can improve on a 6-4 start.

“I’m here until Monday so I’m going to talk to them a little more tomorrow, and a little bit more on Sunday before the game and then after the game probably get to talk to the guys, and hopefully we can go to dinner and kick it,” Wall said.

“Figure out what they like, what they think about the team, what we can we do to try and improve the team, and also try to improve the league and try to make it better for everybody.”

Wall has played for the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers, and is working towards an NBA return.