John Wall All-Star Mania
Following the announcement that he was voted a starter, John Wall All-Star mania has ensued.
The NBA season is at its halfway point, with the Washington Wizards as one of the league’s more pleasant surprises. At 29-14, Washington owns the East’s second-best record, which is also tied for sixth-best overall. Deservedly so, there will be a Wizard starting the All-Star Game in New York in two weeks.
John Wall led all Eastern Conference guards with 886,368 votes. This will be Wall’s second All-Star Game, his first as a starter. The last Wizard to be voted into the exhibition by the fans was Gilbert Arenas in 2007. Wall will become just the 11th player in franchise history to start the All-Star Game.
Via Todd Dybas of The Washington Times, Wall said:
"“I am honored to be named as a starter by the fans and will be proud to represent them at All-Star Weekend. Their votes represent the hard work that my teammates, our coaches and the entire organization have put in so far this season and the improvement we’ve had as a team.”"
Wall’s former college coach was quick to offer his congratulations:
Two sons on the NBA All-Star starting lineups. I love it. Is that a humble brag? Congrats to @JohnWall and @AntDavis23. Proud of you two.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 23, 2015
Fellow ex-Kentucky Wildcat Anthony Davis led Western Conference big men with 1,369,911 votes. A pair of Wall’s current teammates, Paul Pierce and Bradley Beal, were also among the many to congratulate him via Twitter and Instagram.
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Wall’s numbers this year more than justify him as the right choice to represent the East at point guard. He’s leading the NBA with 10.0 assists per game and is second in steals at 2.09. His 23 double-doubles tie him for fourth in the league — no other guard ranks in the top 10.
As ESPN Stats & Info points out, Wall is the only backcourt player averaging a double-double. He’s also the NBA leader in points created by assists.
Adidas is releasing a special John Wall All-Star shoe, set to hit stores the Friday before the game:
All-Star Quick.
— adidas Basketball (@adidasHoops) January 23, 2015
Introducing the #JWall1 NYC All-Star.
Available 2/13/15. #NBAAllStarNYC pic.twitter.com/wN2tfrWzn8
Wall was also used in an early promo to sell some All-Star gear:
Eastern Conference Starter @JohnWall models the @adidasHoops #NBAAllStarNYC WarmUp Jacket! pic.twitter.com/ecjdDdNjfn
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 23, 2015
To commemorate the occasion NBA.com put together a video of Wall’s top ten plays of the season so far:
It’s quite possible all of the hype may have gotten into Wall’s head a bit. CSN Washington reporter J. Micheal gave us this little nugget of information regarding Wall’s state of mind:
Just talked to @JohnWall via phone said his next individual goal ... MVP #WizardsTalk @CSNWizards #NBAAllStar
— J. Michael (@ThisIsJMichael) January 23, 2015
MVP, huh? Is it really out of the question? Basketball writers around the web are starting to throw Wall’s name into the conversation for this season. An MVP award at some point down the road is definitely within reason. Let’s not forget, Wall is still only 24 years old. The ascending superstar has plenty of time to get even better.