Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed All-NBA guard John Wall to a multi-year contract extension.
“John is an exceptional talent and a cornerstone for our team – and our city,” said Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman and Majority Owner of Monumental Sports and Entertainment. “This signing means stability for the Wizards for years to come and solidifies our commitment to drafting and then developing talent here at home. It’s John’s unique blend of skill and leadership that makes us a championship-caliber team.”
According to the Washington Post, the contract is “a four-year deal with a player option in the fourth year. The designated player veteran extension will keep him as the team’s cornerstone and pay him $170 million.”
With Wall at the helm, the Wizards won 49 games during the 2016-17 campaign (the most since the 1978-79 season), claimed the Southeast Division title (the first division title since the 1978-79 season) and returned to the playoffs, joining Cleveland as the only other team in the East to advance to the semifinals in three of the last four seasons. Along the way, he averaged career highs in scoring (23.1), field goal percentage (.451), assists (10.7) and steals (2.0), became the first player in league history to average at least 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.5 blocks per game and joined James Harden and Russell Westbrook as the only players to average a point/assist double-double during the regular season. He had the third-most double-doubles (50) among NBA guards, had the third-most games (49) with 10 or more assists and led the Eastern Conference in assists (831) for a fourth straight season (joining Isaiah Thomas from 1980-86 and Rajon Rondo from 2008-12 as one of three players to do so in league history).
Those accomplishments earned Wall All-NBA Third Team honors and his fourth straight All-Star selection. He was also tabbed the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December and was a two-time Player of the Week honoree.
“Returning to the only team I’ve known in my professional career was an easy decision for me,” said Wall. “I want to thank my family, Mr. Leonsis, Ernie Grunfeld, all of my coaches and my teammates for their amazing support over the last seven years. I understand my role as the leader of this franchise and I will continue to work hard to improve my game and make our team better. Washington, D.C., is my second home and I take seriously my efforts in the community and look forward to strengthening that bond. Our fans are amazing and I’m excited to bring them and this city continued success and a team they can be proud of.”
The Wizards selected Wall with the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky. He has averaged 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting .433 from the field and .321 from three-point range in 500 games (488 starts) in his seven seasons with the Wizards. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,610) and steals (870). In 31 playoff appearances, Wall holds averages of 21.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in 38.7 minutes per game. During Washington’s 2017 postseason run, Wall averaged 27.2 points, 10.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He became just the eighth player in league history to average at least 25 points and 10 assists in the playoffs (minimum three games). Of those eight players, only Wall and Westbrook (2015-16) maintained those averages for more than 10 playoff games in a single postseason.
“John’s passion for winning, dedication to his teammates and commitment to the community have been on display since we drafted him seven years ago,” said Grunfeld. “He has constantly worked to improve and expand his game and has developed into an All-NBA player who has elevated our franchise and electrified our fans. We are thrilled that he will continue to lead us through the prime years of his career and look forward to watching as he solidifies his place among the greatest players in our team’s history.”
Wall joins Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Chris Paul as the only players in NBA history to average at least 17 points, eight assists and four rebounds through the first 345 games of their career. He became the sixth fastest player in NBA history (124 games) to reach the 2,000 points/1,000 assists plateau and was the fastest player (134 games) to reach 2,200 points, 1,000 assists, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 90 blocks since steals and blocks became an official stat in the early 1970s. Wall became the first player in NBA history to record totals of at least 1,800 points, 800 assists, 150 steals and 50 blocks in a season during the 2016-17 campaign, and during the same season, was just the third player to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals since 2000-01. He is one of four players with 9,000 points and 4,500 assists through the age of 26 and is the third-youngest player ever to record a triple-double in NBA history at the age of 20 years and 65 days old (11/10/10).
