Say bad things about the Rockets! He broke up with Harden again. Now he is 34 years old and retired at the peak of his career. You have won a good hand of cards.

According to well-known reporter Shams Charania, former NBA No. 1 pick John Wall officially announced his retirement. The 2010 draft No. 1 pick chose to end her career at the age of 34, which makes people feel deeply moved. Compared with Paul and Harden, who are also point guards, Wall's career trajectory seems much more bumpy. Paul is still able to maintain competitiveness in the league in nearly 40 years old, and even become the target of multiple teams. If he had not been for his feelings for the Clippers, he might have been able to sign a large contract with an annual salary of tens of millions. Harden is still the top star in the league and continues to shine on a high-level stage. In contrast, Wall's career gradually faded later, which is a pity.

Wor's peak period was undoubtedly in the Wizards. As the core of the team, he was famous for his speed, breakthrough and organizational skills, leading the Wizards to the playoffs many times. However, a series of injuries changed his fate. Especially the famous bathroom slip accident that caused his already injured Achilles tendon to completely break, an injury that almost destroyed his career.

In contrast, Paul was still able to get a four-year, $160 million maximum salary contract from the Rockets when he was the same age, and even signed a high annual salary with the Suns at the age of 36. After injury, Wall's condition plummeted and could never return to the peak.

Wall's fate with the Rockets began in the 2020 offseason. At that time, the Rockets sent Westbrook away through a trade in exchange for Wall, hoping that he could partner with Harden and reproduce the glory of the "Light Bulb Combination" (Paul and Harden). However, the reality is very different. During his time with the Rockets, Paul teamed up with Harden to create a 65-win record of the league, and fought the Warriors in seven games in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, just one step away from the Finals. When Wall joined the Rockets, the team was in the early stages of reconstruction, but his cooperation with Harden was full of contradictions.

Wall's dissatisfaction with Harden began with some trivial matters. He was disappointed that Harden did not pick him up at the airport in person, believing that the two should have more intimate interactions as "brothers". The deeper contradiction is that Harden clearly expressed his willingness to leave the team, while Wall believes that this is a contempt for his own strength. The relationship between the two quickly deteriorated.

In early 2021, Harden was traded to the Nets, while Wall and his teammate Cousins ​​publicly mocked Harden, trying to reshape the Rockets with himself as the core. However, the Rockets quickly fell back after a short winning streak, and Wall's performance also struggled to support the team. In the end, the Rockets chose to play badly and give young players more opportunities, while Wall was hidden.

During the offseason in the past three seasons, Wall has repeatedly criticized the Rockets management for his restricted playing time and even prevented him from playing back-to-back games. However, it turns out that the Rockets' decision was not inappropriate. Wall's competitive form has declined sharply. Although the average data is still highlighted, it is inefficient and has a shooting percentage of only 40.4%. In 40 games for the Rockets, although he had unlimited fire rights, averaging 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, his overall performance was far inferior to expectations. The Rockets finally bought out Wall twice, the first time to meet his requirement to seek more playing time, and the second time was in February 2023, when Wall was traded back to the Rockets after being bought out again. It is worth mentioning that despite Wall's public dissatisfaction with the Rockets many times, the Rockets' management has always maintained its demeanor.

After he announced his retirement, the Rockets reporter Lachard Binkley posted on social media today, saying: "Houston Rockets legend John Wall has retired."

This blessing shows the humanity of the Rockets management under Stone, which is in sharp contrast to the management style of Mo X in some periods in the past.

Looking back on Wall's career, he really has a good hand of cards. As a former No. 1 pick, he has enviable talents, but injuries and off-court factors have made his career take a sharp turn. Recently exposed recent photos of Wall show that he has gained weight significantly and his physical condition is far from what NBA players ask for. In contrast, Harden's choice not to continue working with Wall may be based on a rational judgment of the team's prospects and his own career planning. Now that Wall has no ball to play and retires in disgrace, he can only blame his decline in his own condition and career planning mistakes.