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Wizards legend John Wall joins Grant & Danny.
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00:00And now in Richmond, AM 910 FM 105.1.
00:03However you're listening, thank you.
00:04You can watch us on YouTube on your smart TVs, on the 106.7 The Fan YouTube channel,
00:10and you can listen wherever you are coast to coast on the Odyssey app.
00:14Let's go to the Rude guest hotline.
00:16Rude, the most reliable heating and air conditioning products in the DMV,
00:20and welcome onto the show a former five-time all-star
00:22who was one of the great wizards of all time and yesterday turned good luck charm
00:27and perhaps his most important assist in Wizards history.
00:32Delivering the number one overall pick for Washington at the draft lottery in Chicago.
00:38My pleasure to welcome onto the show, John Wall.
00:41John, thank you for the time, and thank you for delivering pick number one to Washington, D.C.
00:46How are you?
00:48I'm doing great. How y'all doing this afternoon?
00:50Pretty darn well, my friend.
00:52I didn't think it was going to happen, but it did, and we're just overjoyed.
00:55So many of us here, as basketball fans, are just so darn happy.
00:58What was that process like sitting up there?
01:00Because ultimately, I mean, we all know you don't really have much control over it.
01:03It's a bunch of ping-pong balls bouncing in and out of the room.
01:05But what was it like sitting up there with kind of the fate of the franchise in your hands,
01:09you know, secondhand?
01:13For me, it was calm, cool, and collected.
01:15You know what I mean?
01:15Like you said, the only thing that I wasn't really worried about when it first started,
01:19I knew we were guaranteed a top five pick regardless.
01:21So, you know, the first 14 and six, I wasn't really paying attention.
01:25I was just sitting back relaxing.
01:27And then when it got down to, okay, now it's number five, boom, we got past that.
01:32It's okay, now you're at the top four.
01:33I'm like, okay, now it's a possibility.
01:35So it's like, you know what I mean?
01:36It's a full circle moment for me for being a number one pick to end up being on the stage
01:41and the Wizards get another opportunity to get another number one pick.
01:45Yep.
01:46To your point, first time since you were drafted, you're there,
01:49and they land number one again.
01:51So when they go to commercial, and we're all dying because we're just sweating bullets at that point,
01:58that you are, I'm guessing, they seem to get everyone together, like of the four teams that are left,
02:03so maybe they pull you down from the dais or whatever.
02:05What was that like?
02:06What was going through your mind at that point?
02:08Do you start to get nervous or anxious?
02:10And you find out when we all did, but were you like trying to look into the envelopes to see,
02:15like what was your mindset as you got closer to one?
02:18Well, when they got to the last four, they told me, me and Tony Kukoc,
02:23they're representing the Bulls, that we had to talk.
02:26And then Tayshaun Prince was doing the Grizzlies, and Keontae George was doing the Jazz,
02:32and they talked to us, they talked to me and Tony Kukoc.
02:35So then I'm like, man, I got to talk right now.
02:37I don't really want to talk.
02:37I'm just trying to sit back and relax.
02:40So we talked, and then we sat down, and then, you know, the Bulls got the pick.
02:45Then Memphis got the pick at three.
02:47Now it's down to two.
02:48But I'm trying to look to the left every time he's open the envelope to kind of see what I
02:52can see a little bit
02:52before he showed the whole crowd.
02:55And when I seen the purple come out, I was like, all right, we got the number one pick.
02:58So I'm kind of still shocked because I'm like, well, how did this happen?
03:01Like, guys, I'm up here, but, you know, I gave a lot of credit to God.
03:04And, you know, I mean, my mom, I feel like them two made it happen on Mother's Day.
03:08And then, you know what I mean, I got up, then I sat back down.
03:10Do I pull the walk up right now?
03:11Do I pull the sit down?
03:12Like, what do I do?
03:14So it was a little different.
03:15So I saw right after they say the Wizards get the number one pick, you kissed, like, the locket that
03:20you were wearing.
03:20I believe there was an image of your mom we saw on television.
03:23Can you kind of go into that on Mother's Day and that element of this for you?
03:27Well, yeah, I really wanted to wear the locket that I wore for the John Wall night, but my necklace
03:32piece had books.
03:33I didn't get to wear it, but the same picture on that is on the back of my neck tattoo.
03:37But I kind of just put my hands up between my eyes and was just like, this is unbelievable.
03:41This really happened just now.
03:42So I was still in shock, but it was a great feeling.
03:46I mean, like I said, it would be a full-circle moment to be back there to represent the Wizards
03:50organizations
03:51and then them get the opportunity to get the number one pick.
03:53It was full-circle for sure.
03:54The great John Wall with us here on Grant and Danny.
03:56That's what I wanted to ask, as you said, full-circle.
03:58Like, you at one point, and not too long ago, were the great hope.
04:03You were the really exciting thing that was happening with this franchise.
04:06And then for you to rep the franchise for that to happen again, what was that like?
04:09What did that mean to you?
04:11I mean, everything.
04:12I mean, it's like I said, just to be an opportunity to have a lot of excitement and be back
04:16up there
04:16to represent the organization that gave me the opportunity to reach my goals of getting drafted
04:21to the NBA and then eventually being the number one pick.
04:24It's the same now.
04:25So, you know, I'm very confident what the front office is going to do and what's best for the team
04:29and definitely what's best for the city to give them another great talent to add to what they have now
04:34and hopefully bring some more excitement and winning back to the Wizards.
04:38John Wall on Grant and Danny here on The Fan.
04:41We were all waiting to find out who they were going to send,
04:43and a lot of people had said you were kind of the easy choice,
04:46and there's no reason they should have asked anyone else to do it.
04:49When did they actually come to you, and how did that go down?
04:51Who called you and asked you to do it?
04:54It was a lot of people.
04:55It was a lot of people.
04:56It was a lot of circulation going around, and could I do it, and what could happen?
05:00I had to make sure everything was clear on my end
05:02and make sure I could get done that Monday's Day knowing it's a tough day for me.
05:05And then it basically happened.
05:08And then after you win the number one pick and they address you or whatever,
05:13I saw in one of the interviews you were doing, the scrums, with a few of the reporters,
05:17it seemed like maybe you'd already talked to Ted.
05:20I mean, how quickly did he call you, or who did you talk to with the Wizards after that
05:24that I'm sure was very excited to congratulate and thank you?
05:28Well, they had started a group check before it happened.
05:31It was like, good luck.
05:32Come on, bring us some hope.
05:34And then my phone just started ringing.
05:36He had 56 text messages, a couple calls.
05:39And the most important part, you know, that I had to answer for is the owner of the team,
05:43is Taylor Youngstead.
05:44And kind of seemed like I had a little interview right before I started talking.
05:47I was like talking to Ted.
05:48I was like, Ted done called me a few times.
05:51He ain't stopped calling yet.
05:53Well, what could this number one pick?
05:55And, you know, it could be a number of players who are really, really good at the top of this
05:58board.
05:58It's a great draft.
05:59What could this do for this franchise?
06:02Just go into that big picture.
06:05Well, I think, you know, I mean, you got to give a lot of credit to what Michael Winger
06:09and what Dawkins have been doing the last couple of years, you know what I mean, of getting
06:12a lot of young talent that's continuing to grow, continuing to get better with themselves.
06:16Then the trade deadline, you go get a guy like Trey Young and a guy like Anthony Davis.
06:20And then you get an opportunity to get a number one pick that you can add another great young
06:24talent to this team or whatever you want to do with.
06:26I feel like they'll do his best.
06:27But they're moving in the right direction.
06:29And like, you know what I mean, you looked at it as like they had a fire window to get
06:32them back to winning.
06:33Well, this is year four, I think.
06:34And they're probably ahead of schedule in that fifth year than everybody expected with
06:38what they have done the last couple, what last year in the draft and in the last couple
06:42of months.
06:43John, go back to when you were, when you, when Washington wins the lottery, you're going
06:47to be the number one overall pick.
06:48You were joining a team that had its window and was kind of declining and still had some
06:52veterans, guys like Antoine Jamieson and Gilbert Arrhenes and Karam Butler and Brendan
06:56Haywood and company.
06:57Contrast that to right now where it's a bunch of young guys that would all get carded going
07:02to a bar.
07:02I mean, everybody's 21, 22.
07:04You're a senior citizen if you're in your mid-20s at this point.
07:07How different is that environment now for this number one overall pick coming in?
07:11A different environment.
07:13I mean, because now you're coming to a team that like, yeah, they didn't have a good winning
07:15record last year, like the worst record in the league.
07:18But they have the right assets, the right pieces that can be a winning team.
07:21When I came in, it was kind of a full, complete rebuild.
07:25You know what I mean?
07:25Starting completely from scratch.
07:27This guy coming in, you could be the franchise guy, but you're going to go play with a guy,
07:31Andy Davis, that's been a superstar in this league, won all-star game MVP, won a championship.
07:36A guy like Trae Young that's been multiple times, all-NBA, all-star, those type of things.
07:40So I didn't come in with the void of that, but I think they had a great position and it's
07:44all about now who do you get that you feel fit best and can guys be healthy and what
07:49do you keep and what do you let go?
07:50John Wall and Grant and Danny, you were here at a time when there was a love affair between
07:56the city and the Wizards because of you and Brad Beal and that operation you guys put together
08:02where you were on the scorer's table celebrating a Game 6 win on the verge of a conference final.
08:07Now, what's your take just on D.C. as a Wizards town, as a sports town?
08:11Danny and I are trying to find the words to describe how different it can be when things
08:16are good for the Wizards because it hasn't been that way for some time strategically here
08:20based on yesterday for the last few years, but when the switch is flipped, what's it like?
08:27It's amazing.
08:28It's exciting.
08:29You just go back and look like you said at times when I was there and we finally got
08:33over the hump and started being a playoff team and was winning.
08:35We never got the opportunity to get to the conference finals.
08:37All the NBA finals, but it was a lot of fun, a lot of joy, man.
08:42When you're giving everything you've got to the team, to the city, they love you.
08:46What I always tell the kids, most importantly, and the young men that's coming into this,
08:50they've competed at a high level, do everything you're supposed to to continue to work and
08:52get better.
08:53They'll stick with you, but most importantly, you've got to touch the community.
08:56That will give you so much love throughout the city and throughout the fan base.
09:00How has the game evolved since you were the number one overall pick in terms of, A, how good
09:04these young players are coming out and just sort of the different league that they're
09:07stepping into?
09:09Well, it's super different.
09:10Back then, you had a legit four-man and a legit five-man.
09:14Most of the only thing you could pick and pop was the four-man.
09:17You know what I mean?
09:17You had probably one three-point shoot on your team, maybe two of the best.
09:21I mean, your three-man was probably a three-and-defensive guy.
09:25Your two-man was a guy that can put the ball on the floor, run off pin downs.
09:29Your five-man and four-man, the paint was clawed a lot more.
09:32Back to the basketball players, you can chuck people coming across the lane.
09:35You couldn't hand-check.
09:37You could hand-check back then.
09:39It's a lot more different.
09:40It's a lot more three-balls, a lot more fast-paced.
09:42So the game has changed dramatically.
09:44And I think some of these young talent have changed also with the game.
09:48And I just always look at, like, what have I been doing in this area
09:51if I was playing in this area, the way I played back then.
09:54John, I know yesterday A.J. DeBonsa said that you had come and seen him play
09:59at some point or he had some relationship with you based on the past
10:02when he was in high school.
10:03Forgive me, I don't know the details.
10:05When would you have seen him play or been around him?
10:07Well, if you know me, I'm a basketball junkie.
10:09So I know almost all the high school kids that's coming up and going to college
10:13and the ones that's going to the pros.
10:14So I had an opportunity a couple years ago to go watch him play in Indiana.
10:18He played in the EYBL tournament, watched him play.
10:21And then after that, we went and had a dinner at Benny Hanna's.
10:24And we just chopped it up and just talked basketball.
10:26They were trying to figure out what his ultimate goal was of finishing
10:28out high school, not where he wanted to go to college,
10:31but, like, what are his goals when he gets to college
10:33and what he's trying to do after that to get to the league.
10:35And it came off full circle.
10:37Like, I knew exactly what he could be and what it was going to be like for him.
10:40And he wanted to dominate the college like he was supposed to.
10:43Put your scouting hat on.
10:44You're going to be, and we'll ask you about Howard in a second, too,
10:47and the president of basketball ops over there.
10:49But what type of player do you think he is now compared to then
10:52when you first met him?
10:53And then you actually have the ability, it sounds like,
10:55to know him as a person a little bit, too, from that dinner.
10:57What kind of kid is he?
10:59Oh, he's a great kid.
11:00He's a guy that's very humble, that loves the game of basketball,
11:03that wants to compete at our level.
11:06He's a basketball junkie.
11:07He wants to be great.
11:07Like you said, he's been number one almost basically since three-class
11:10in eighth grade.
11:11And he's always putting his pedal to the metal, always working hard,
11:15head down.
11:16He went to BYU and did what he was supposed to do.
11:18I know one thing about him, he wants to win.
11:20So he probably wasn't excited.
11:21He didn't get to go as far as he wanted.
11:23But he's a competitor and a kid that loves to play.
11:26John, is this draft as good as people say, in your view,
11:29just in terms of the depth of it?
11:30I don't know that anything will be like 2003 again,
11:32where it's just, you know, whatever,
11:34it's four Hall of Famers in the first five picks.
11:35But do you see this draft as deep and strong as people are talking about?
11:41Yeah, I think there's a lot of great talent here.
11:42And you've got to look at it.
11:44It's all about potential.
11:45And when you draft people, it's all about potential
11:47and what you expect the person to be.
11:49But at the same time, the player has to put the work in
11:51just as much as the organization is to build it around that player
11:54and try to do the right things by him.
11:55So, you know what I mean?
11:56All you can do is wish for no injuries, the best of luck,
11:59hope the guy can stay healthy, compete at a high level,
12:01continue to get better, understand what the NBA game is all about.
12:05So there's a lot of great talent in this league.
12:07I think there's a lot of great talent coming in this year also.
12:10John Wall on Grant and Danny.
12:12We'll talk to him in just a moment, Danny,
12:13because I want to get into Howard before we say goodbye.
12:16Because it's really cool.
12:17He's coming back to D.C., be the president of Basketball Ops over there
12:20and run that program, which is going to be incredible.
12:23One thing, you mentioned earlier about Winger and Dawkins
12:26in this front office, and I've been blown away
12:28by just how they've executed this vision and this plan.
12:31It's almost three years to the day, John.
12:33Michael Winger was hired, I think, May 24th, 2023.
12:36So it feels like it's been longer,
12:38but it's been three years of kind of a teardown and a build back up,
12:40and it looks like the train's about to leave the station.
12:43As someone who's about to run a program
12:45and kind of be in a role where you're overseeing everything at the top,
12:48what impresses you about how they've done this,
12:50and how do you feel about what they were able to accomplish here
12:54leading up to this draft lottery?
12:57I think it was great.
12:59I mean, I think they came in with a mindset of what they wanted to do.
13:02They've been around the league.
13:03They've been around this situation and position before.
13:06And you kind of just got to restart.
13:08You know what I mean?
13:08No matter who drafted guys before you,
13:11and you got to get rid of some of those guys,
13:13and you got to try to go get the guys you want to get.
13:15You might have to trade some people away
13:17that people might not like.
13:18You got to draft the way you want to draft.
13:20And I think it's like anybody going to a new job,
13:23you got to find a new foundation.
13:25You got to build it the way you want to do it.
13:26And they've done a heck of a job of that so far.
13:29Don, you mentioned earlier in an answer,
13:31guys like Trey Young and Anthony Davis,
13:33and then the timeline is different for them
13:35as veterans who have been around this league
13:36and have already accomplished so much
13:37with some of these young pieces.
13:39You know, what advice would you give
13:41some of those veteran guys about, you know,
13:43whether it's sticking here
13:44or trying to look to go elsewhere, et cetera,
13:46you know, because, again,
13:47they maybe feel like their window is closing
13:48to be as competitive as they can be
13:50to win a championship.
13:51Sort of, what's your thought process now
13:53on guys like Anthony Davis and Trey Young
13:54fitting into this group of youngsters
13:56that's ascending?
13:59Well, I think it's great.
14:00I mean, like I say,
14:00you got two guys that have been veterans.
14:02One guy that had been to the East Coast
14:04finals before with the Hawks.
14:05Another guy that had been to the finals
14:07and won one with the Lakers.
14:08He can play at a high level.
14:10He can compete and do all those great things.
14:11So, you always want to mesh a couple
14:15of great veterans or good veterans
14:16to understand what you're trying to do.
14:18Be great locker room guys
14:19of the ones that don't get to play
14:21and try to help these young guys
14:22understand what the league is about
14:23and continue to develop and grow.
14:25John, have you officially started over
14:27at Howard and tell us about your new role
14:29and what that's going to be like?
14:31Oh, yeah, it's a great role, man.
14:33Super excited to be the president
14:34of basketball operations.
14:35So, give a lot of shout out
14:36to Coach Blakeney and his staff
14:39and also to the University of Howard
14:41of just giving me this opportunity,
14:43you know what I mean,
14:43to be around the game of basketball
14:45and continue to grow,
14:47continue to understand
14:48what the business side of it
14:49outside of just, you know what I mean,
14:51the NIL and transport portal
14:53and just trying to let my experience
14:55that I know about the game,
14:56my IQ, continue to grow
14:58to understand the business mind of it
14:59outside of just playing.
15:01Who's going to meet in the NBA Finals
15:03this year and who's winning it?
15:06Right now, I have Spurs
15:09versus the Knicks,
15:14which I don't want to say
15:15and I think the Spurs,
15:16I got the Spurs winning.
15:17So, they beat OKC
15:18in the conference final, you think?
15:21Yeah, I do.
15:21If Jalen Williams is not healthy,
15:23I'd definitely take the Spurs.
15:24And then you have the Spurs winning
15:26the Finals or the Knicks?
15:28Yeah.
15:31Take those.
15:32Yeah.
15:32Yeah.
15:33All right.
15:34Good enough.
15:34I got the Spurs, yes.
15:35All right.
15:36Sounds good.
15:36John, we appreciate you.
15:38And again, yesterday was amazing
15:40and it was that much more special
15:42for Wizards fans
15:43because you were a part of it.
15:44You delivered.
15:45We appreciate it.
15:46Appreciate you, buddy.
15:47All right.
15:48Thank you so much.
15:48Have a good one.
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