John Wall takes over Howard basketball in bombshell HBCU move

Five-time NBA All-Star John Wall has taken on a major leadership role at Howard University, being named president of basketball operations, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported early Thursday. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft returns to Washington, D.C., where he spent nine seasons with the Washington Wizards and earned five All-Star selections.

Wall’s transition into an executive role follows his retirement in August 2025, concluding an 11-year NBA career in which he averaged 18.7 points and 8.9 assists per game. During his peak, he recorded 23.1 points and 10.7 assists in the 2016-17 season, earning All-NBA Third Team honors. Over nine seasons in Washington, he averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 assists, while also leading the franchise to four playoff appearances. Injuries impacted the latter stages of his career, limiting him to just 73 combined games over two seasons before missing the entire 2019-20 campaign following multiple surgeries.

Wall’s path to his new position began with his hands-on involvement with Howard earlier this year. On Jan. 31, he served as honorary captain during a game against Norfolk State, delivering a pregame speech, an experience that led to discussions about a formal role. He has already begun contributing to program operations, participating in team meetings, evaluating recruits and transfer prospects, and helping guide strategy related to roster construction, NIL opportunities, revenue sharing, and player development.

He joins a Howard program led by head coach Kenny Blakeney and general manager Daniel Marks. The Bison are coming off a 24-11 season, tied for the best record in school history, and secured an NCAA tournament berth after defeating UMBC in the First Four. The program has reached the NCAA tournament three times in the past four seasons, placing it among just five mid-major programs (out of 222) to achieve that mark.

Wall also brings limited front-office experience, having purchased a stake in South East Melbourne, an Australian NBL team, in 2020. His post-playing career has included broadcasting work, most recently serving as an analyst for Amazon Prime Video during the 2025-26 NBA season.

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