Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

By Joel Reyes

The Washington Wizards paid tribute to John Wall on Friday (PH time), honoring the legacy and impact of their former star player with a retirement celebration at Capital One Arena.

Photo by Sabina Shysh/NBAE via Getty Images

Wall’s status as a franchise legend in D.C. is unquestioned, leading the Wizards to rare stretches of success during his stint with Washington from 2010 to 2020. Here are his three greatest NBA moments as a member of the Wizards.

John Wall makes waves in his rookie season 

John Wall entered the NBA with so much fanfare after Washington made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 Draft. The former Kentucky star wasted no time showing his talent, winning the MVP award in the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League. He then put on a show in front of Washington fans in his home debut, tying a franchise record with nine steals.

Photo by Ray Amati/NBAE via Getty Images

Wall then became the third-youngest NBA Player to record a triple-double, amassing 19 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds against the Houston Rockets on November 10, 2010. Only LeBron James and Lamar Odom had triple-doubles at a younger age than Wall when he achieved that feat, which came in just his sixth career NBA game.

Wall finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, losing to unanimous selection Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers. Wall’s efforts were recognized, though, as he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Wall leads Washington to its first playoff series win since 2005

Wall finally reached the NBA playoffs for the first time in his career in 2014 after he led the Wizards to a 44-38 record during the regular season, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Washington faced Chicago in the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs, looking to grab its first series win in the postseason since 2005 when the Wizards defeated the Bulls 4-2 in their best-of-seven showdown.

History repeated itself in 2014, with Washington ousting Chicago 4-1 in their first-round encounter. Wall stepped up in his first playoff series appearance, averaging 18.8 points, 6.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals in the five games he played against the Bulls. He led Washington’s offense in the series clincher, scoring 24 points in the Wizards’ 75-69 win in Game 5. 

Wall impresses in Washington’s 2017 playoff run

The best postseason run of Wall’s pro basketball career came in 2017 when he led the Wizards to the second round of the NBA playoffs. He helped Washington beat Atlanta in the first round, establishing monster offensive numbers during that series.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Wall scored a playoff career-high 32 points in Game 1 to lead Washington to a 114-107 victory. He then set a new playoff career-high in Game 6, scoring 42 points in the series-clincher against the Hawks.

Wall delivered more heroics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Boston, scoring a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining in Game 6 to hand Washington a 92-91 victory. The Wizards ultimately fell short in their bid to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, losing 105-115 to the Celtics in Game 7 despite Wall’s 18 points and 11 assists.