John Wall Looking for the Next John Wall

If there’s one thing that’s clear about John Wall, it’s that he loves basketball. He watches and plays it every minute that he can, and even with the lockout, he’s finding ways to get his game on.

Over the weekend, Wall made a surprise visit to Spingarn High School in northeast D.C. to play with the streetball Goodman League. After scoring 41 points in the game, Wall admitted he’d been working on his jumper.

“I’ve been working on it, so I’m getting more comfortable,” Wall told the AFRO. “I just have to keep working and working.”

This week, Wall is hosting high school basketball talent at the Reebok Basketball Breakout Challenge at Philadelphia University. Wall was discovered at that same camp in 2007 and this year he’s hoping to pass that life-changing moment on to another player.

"There are no All-Americans here, really, just people that are unknown," he said to Philly.com. "It's great for me to interact with them and tell them how I did it."

Wall and Reebok will take a look at 118 of the best high school ballers in the country, some of whom earned their invitation by playing in smaller camps, just like Wall.

"I think the key point is this is an event that mirrors John Wall's discovering path," said Brian Lee, head of global basketball at Reebok.

And as if the presence of Wall wasn’t enough of an indication, there is a sign near the court reminding the young players that the opportunity to be there may come with great reward:

"This court and stage was the exact place where my basketball career took a major turn. I didn't realize how big the opportunity was until I saw what came from it. I came here just some kid from North Carolina. I felt like I left as John Wall."


Questions, comments or tips? Email Sarah at sarahskogod@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter (@sarahschorno).

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