Washington Wizards guard John Wall is at 2014 NBA All-Star weekend, had a nice showing in the dunk contest, and is playing in tonight's All-Star game as a reserve for the Eastern conference. He was a college teammate of Sacramento Kings big-man DeMarcus Cousins at Kentucky. Here's what Wall had to say about Cousins:

Question: John, you got to see DeMarcus Cousins earlier this week when he came to play the Wizards. Did you say anything to him, about this weekend, and him not being here, anything motivational or anything?

John Wall: I just told him to keep playing. I thought he was playing the best basketball he can play. And he's maturing. Especially not getting technicals and things like that. I think he's taking the right step in the right direction. And this year didn't work out for him, but I said you can't do no better, but just keep playing the right way and just keep helping the team as much as possible.

Question: Do you think he's the type of guy who would take that -- take the snub personal and try to prove people wrong?

Wall: Yeah, he's like me. He uses a lot of stuff as motivation. It's probably something that he's dealt with most of his career, but I think he's done a great job of playing this season. It didn't work out for him to be an All-Star, but he's still got a lot of games left that he can finish and try to make his team better.

Question: What do you think is the next step for him to possibly be here (at NBA All-Star weekend) next year?

Wall: I think play the same way he played this season. I think he's playing at a high level, averaging 20-some points and double-figure rebounds. That's very tough to do.

Question: Is it a matter of getting the wins?

Wall: I think that's the biggest thing, is winning. I think that's the biggest thing. You got to be able to win.