John Wall: NBA players 'owe it to the fans' not to rest
John Wall has dealt with his fair share of injuries during his soon-to-be seven NBA seasons. So when the four-time All-Star is healthy enough to take the court, he takes the court.
In an interview with CSN Mid Atlantic on Thursday, Wall addressed the trend of uninjured players taking the night off to rest — a trend that has become one of the NBA's most controversial topics in recent years.
"That’s the difference about our league now. It’s kind of gotten a little softer. Guys sit out and rest," Wall, 26, said, adding that he understands players can't "go against" what coaches or doctors say.
Most recently, the Golden State Warriors made headlines when coach Steve Kerr opted to rest Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala for a primetime, Saturday night matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. During the broadcast, NBA coach-turned analyst Jeff Van Gundy took a strong stance, saying that players resting tells fans in attendance that they "don't matter."
Wall, albeit less vehemently, echoed those sentiments.
"I'm not the type of guy who wants to sit down and rest. I think you owe it to the fans," Wall said. "They paid money to come see us play. That's how a professional goes out there and competes. If nothing is hurt, you can play, go play.
"I missed games I didn’t want to miss in the past because I was injured," Wall said. "I make up for the time I can make up."
GALLERY: John Wall through the years
As of March 17, Wall has played in 487 of a potential 543 regular-season games during his career.
- As a rookie in 2010-11, he missed 13 games with left foot and right knee injuries.
- In 2012-13, he missed Washington's first 33 games with a stress injury in his left knee.
- At the end of the 2014-15 season, he sat out of three of the Wizards' final five games as the team geared up for the playoffs, ending his streak of 219 consecutive games played.
- In the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals, he missed three games with fractures in his left wrist and hand before returning for games five and six.
- Last season, he sat out of Washington's final five games with knee soreness.
This season, after undergoing surgery on both knees over the summer, Washington's original plan was for Wall to sit out of the second night of back-to-back games until January while nursing his knees back to full health. The Wizards followed that routine for a Nov. 5 loss to the Orlando Magic and a Nov. 12 loss to the Chicago Bulls, but Wall — averaging a career high 23.2 points and 10.7 assists — hasn't missed a game since, leading the Wizards to the third seed in the Eastern Conference and the second-best record in the NBA since Jan. 1.
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