From NBA All-Star To Analyst: How John Wall Pivoted From Player To Business Owner

0:00John Wall: This episode is brought to you by Indeed. You're ready to level up your business, but the pressure to find the right person to make that happen is intense. Indeed Sponsored Jobs can help carry the load. It boosts your job post to help it reach quality talent fast. Cut through the chaos with Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Get a$75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring now? Then this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. A basketball savant. The man just breathes it. He loves the sport, studies it, analyzes it. And in a minute, we'll be talking business, basketball and broadcasting with five time NBA all star John Wall.

0:43You're in the Enterprise Zone at the Nasdaq.

0:50Hello, this is Jabari Young, senior writer at Forbes and in the Nasdaq for the Enterprise Zone. Thank you so much for joining. We got a special guest, John Wall, five-time NBA All-Star, played 11 seasons in the league, drafted first round, first pick 2010, played for teams including the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and he earned over$250 million in his career. So I would say that's a pretty, pretty good career. John, thank you so much for the time, man. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Super excited to be here. Yeah, man. It's the first time on the dance day?

1:20Yeah, first time. Wow. All these years, man. It's your first time. You come to the Garden back and forth. when you first time at the NASDAQ. Yeah, and I was just talking to my boy. He's like, I watch his show all the time, watching him locked in. So he's like, man, make sure you say whatever to the guy for him. So I said, what's up? Yeah, well, I appreciate that, man. Well, listen, I appreciate you making a trip here in New York because you're celebrating season two with Amazon Prime. I'm getting to all that stuff in a minute. But before we talk business and basketball and broadcasting, man, how's the family, man?

1:45How's your two sons? Man, they doing great, man. They enjoying sports right now. You know, living in Florida, football is definitely number one. Yeah. You got some track in there. Then he got soccer, he got baseball. So, you know, we got our last game this Saturday in football. Then my youngest son, he'll probably make the playoffs. So he's super excited to see what can happen. Yeah, I love that, man. I mean, listen, how is it being a dad, right? Because early in your career, and I was around for a little bit. I covered the Spurs for five years. You wasn't a dad then, right? But now here you are a dad, man.

2:10What's life like as a dad now? It's everything. Like everything I do now since I have my boys is for them. It's not for me. I think when we're younger and don't have kids, we're living for ourselves and enjoying it. But when you start having kids, everything you do and preparing yourself for just trying to be a good person, a good role model, showing them what hard work and dedication is, not just pampering them and giving them anything they want. That's what my ultimate goal is. So me being present, not just giving them stuff, being present and showing them that I really care. And that's my world.

2:37Yeah. Love that, man. Love it. You follow the stock market at all? No, not really. But I'm trying to get into it. I tell you, my boy is trying to put me into it nowadays. So I'll be learning a bit more slowly, but shortly. Yeah. What are you looking into? Like, what are you trying to learn about it? Just everything like you know, he looks at everything little detail like how it can go up one day Can go down one day when you get in when it's low when it's high so just trying to figure out those things It'll watch the numbers. Yeah, do you have guys people around you investment and managers anything?

3:00Yeah, great team around Yeah, I love that sure you got to I think I think most importantly and I'm glad you pick said that There's a lot of us athletes We wait to get into investments when our career is almost over when we don't know what's gonna happen next I think now with so much technology and so much great things going on and great people and teams around that you should get into it early before you know when your career is going to end. When did you start to take it seriously? I started investing early on, like my fifth year in the league. Like just having great people around me, asking questions and having great mentors of older people that's been through the process of being in the league and understanding.

3:29Like one day basketball is going to stop bouncing. What do you want to do next and what can you pivot to? Yeah, yeah, I tell you, I learned that, man. And being in San Antonio, Matt Bonner was down here. The great shooter, Matt Bonner, man. One of the most frugal dudes I've ever met, man. But he kind of allowed me to understand. Like this dude, just like he wore flannel shirts. He only bought used cars. He really allowed me to understand, like, I'm putting my money aside, right? And that's the first time that I saw a guy really take his money and, like, not spend it at all. He was really serious about that.

3:56Yeah, man. He was really serious about that. But, you know, listen, man, you know, 2026 is here. NBA season is right here, right now, man. And we were just talking off camera because both of us are Cowboys fans. Yeah. Cowboys stink right now. But what's been the music that's been getting you by this year, man? What's been the music motivating you and kind of keeping you creative in your post-NBA career? I don't know. My favorite artist right now is my brother Lil Durk. So I listen to him, you know what I mean? You got to listen to guys like Gunnar. I mean, Future is one of those guys you still listen to.

4:24So that's what, and I love my favorite artist all the time is Lil Wayne. So I go back and listen to the classics all the time. So that's the type of music they get me through, just sitting there, relaxing, vibing, listening in the car and just going through it. Yeah, Gunnar was just here, man. I'm for real? He makes great music. I'm for sure. I tell you, I love that, man. But you walk into a third grade class, John, and some of them may know who you are, right? They might remember your career. They might be looking at the mixtape that came out years ago. But if they didn't know you, and they said, what is it that you do, John, right, today here in 2026?

4:52What do you tell these group of third graders? Well, one is that I'm a broadcaster slash studio analyst with Amazon Prom. You know what I mean? That's something that I never even thought was going to be my next phase of my career. I mean, they gave me an opportunity to get on board last year, and things went great. And I'm super excited to get ready for season two. You know what I mean? October 23rd, next Friday, we open up two big games. You know what I mean? We've got the defending champs, the New York Knicks playing the Boston Celtics. Then you got the Houston Rockets playing San Antonio Spurs.

5:15So just getting into that field, understanding that I enjoy. I get the opportunity, like you said before, tell what I know about basketball. Show my IQ. Show my knowledge of the game. Where kids went to college at. Where kids went to high school at. I have one of the best high school tournaments in the country. So just being able to get into this space and get into that field. I would tell those kids that's what I'm doing. I'm doing that. I'm investing. But also, they'll probably find YouTube somewhere and see my high school mixtape at some point. We're in a different era, man. They're going to immediately look up YouTube.

5:40Everything is YouTube nowadays. That's right, man. All the time. All the time. Do you still look at that mixtape yourself sometimes? For sure. It's interesting to me, and you brought it up, it's like my kids would go watch it. And now some of the kids on their team would be like, your dad played in the NBA? He was in the NBA? And they were like, yeah. And they tried to shy away from him, but I'm like, you can't get away from him. That's why I didn't want to name them juniors and let them build their own legacy and their own name. Let them have their own life, man. Well, listen, that's a perfect segue because, again, you're year two now in the Amazon Prom as a studio analyst.

6:08How's the transition been, right? You retired in August 2025 and go right into the broadcasting booth. How has that transition been for you, leaving, playing a game, to now analyzing and talking to the audiences? Well, it was interesting because when Amazon had reached out to me at first, I wasn't retired yet. And they were like, well, we want to know if you're going to be really locked into it. And I'm like, well, it's almost been two years since I last played. It's probably the right time to move on to that next phase. And I kind of talked with my team and we made a decision and I felt like it was time.

6:35I didn't think I was going to go back to the NBA. and that window opened. It's like right when I announced it, the next day I said I was going with Amazon Prime. Everybody's like, oh, you already had this plan. I'm like, yeah, these are a great group of people around, great team to be around. So I'm super decided. I can't wait to get the season started. You know what I mean? We're going to get the opportunity to be doing the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time this year. You know, we got the NBA Cup championship game that's going to be in Indiana. And then you get the six playing teams that's going to be able to play in SoFi.

7:00So it's just exciting to be around so many great players. I'm around so many Hall of Famers and so many great people that know the game, but also enjoy talking the game, and that's what I enjoy about it. What made you say yes? Because, again, it could be a hard job, especially if you don't keep it real. Like, fans are going to look at it and say, oh, John, he's friends. But I heard on a recent podcast you said, look, this is my lifestyle now. This is how I get paid. If you can't accept how I'm being true, we don't have to kick it out. Well, I look at it just like this. I think people respect my basketball knowledge and what I have to say.

7:27But I look at it as like, let's say to me you can be best friends. We get between those four lines and we're competing. We're not friends right now. This is how we feed our family. So my friends have to understand this is how I feed my family. This is my next phase of my career I feed my family and I'm only critiquing your game to tell you what you can get better what you can work on Like the same thing they did on me I don't look at it as I'm bashing you or trying to talk down to you And that's what I love about Amazon Prime We're not trying to bash anybody or tarnish their career or say they're a bad person or a bad player We're just up there talking about the knowledge of the game What we see what they can work on to get better how the team can compete to get better So it's never negative.

7:58It's always positive, but just critiquing a game in certain ways. Yeah What do you miss still about playing, man? Like, what was the hardest thing to kind of give up? Because, you know. I think the hardest thing for me to give up is the league. It's like, for me, it's like one-on-one now. Yeah. Like, when I came in, it was most powerful centers can be bullying and hand-checking, do those things. Now it's a lot of spacing. Now you see so many guys averaging 25, 30. I'm like, why can't they do this when I was playing? Like, I would have a field day in this. So that's what I miss. But I think just getting between those lines and competing, like being on those big stages and competing.

8:29And just imagine, like, if I was playing now, I probably wouldn't be in the seat, but I could be playing on Amazon Prime on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, or even just get an opportunity to play, like, the end-season tournament. Like, I never got that experience. And the game is just evolving and growing in so many different ways. Yeah. Well, I mean, did you get that itch to kind of come back? Are you still, like, fielding calls, or are you completely – Aaron Donald was retired. Yeah, yeah. LaMarcus even was like, yeah, I'm not going to play. And then he came back. So, like, guys change your mind all the time.

8:53Oh, no, it's over with me. Like, Aaron Donald, I think for him, like, he won a championship there, so he has that right to ease his way back in. You go get a Miles Garrett, why would I want to come out of retirement? I feel like we have a chance to go win another. You know what I mean? That one piece that they're probably missing. But for me, this is my next phase. This is my career. I'm enjoying the next phase and embracing the best way I can. Yeah. Now, you signed with Excel Sports to kind of manage that broadcast inside of your career, right? What was the decision to go with Excel? There's a whole bunch of agencies out there that probably wanted you.

9:20Yeah, there's so many great agencies, but I think most importantly, a guy, Matt Davis. I mean, a guy that I used to work with before when I was with Dan Fagan before. he was like just coming into the game and being like an intern and figuring it out and working with me and I just have a relationship with him like it's been 15 16 years I've known him and I think going into the next phase of my career I'm not playing anymore and this is a guy I know that does a lot of great things off the court I work with a lot of great people and I feel like we have that chemistry and we have that connection that I feel like was best for me that's why I went with XL Sports so you want someone that was familiar with you that was with you from the very beginning yeah yeah yeah well listen man put on your analyst cap now right because the season is here, right?

9:55You know, I'm from Philly, so naturally I'm looking at the Sixers. I'm still a journalist. I can't root for them, but I'm looking at them, man. What is John Wall looking at as the NBA season now is, you know, starting to, it's here, basically, right? What are you looking at going into it? I feel like it's going to be a competitive season this year because a lot of great teams and a lot of people had to move around. You know what I mean? I think now with a lot of teams not trying to go over the second apron, you're not getting the three superstars at one time. You're getting two now with a lot of great role players around you that can fit in and figure out what their role is.

10:24But it's a lot of excitement. I mean, everybody, the Knicks won it after 53 years. I know people are excited about that. They put the banner up soon. That's going to be dope. But I think, like, everybody want to see what Boston's going to do. You know what I mean? Jalen Brown is going. Jason Tatum is going to step up and be that guy. And I think a lot of people, like you said, in Philly, they waiting to see. Like, and B-ass guy back in the almost rookie season shape. You know what I mean? Can he be the number one guy? Now, Jalen Brown, you go from being one to be the number one guy in Boston to now are you the second option, third option, or fourth option because you have Maxie, you have LeBron, you have Vijay.

10:54So I think just figuring out how they mesh all that together. But my team is like seeing what OKC can do with getting Jalen Williams back. I mean, they was right there in the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio last year. And then I want to see the jump that the Spurs are going to make because I think they shocked a lot of us last year of getting to the finals where they never thought they would be there. You kind of could tell when they won the Western Conference Finals, they was crying and jumping up and down. It was like, that's not the finals yet. But they just got over that hump, a young team that's growing.

11:18So I could see them getting back there again. Yeah, I got the Spurs winning it all. Yeah, that's my team this year. Continuity. Yeah. They're hungry. They probably feel like they let it go. Yes. Pop is probably in the air now. Like, I mean, I got them winning it all. And I feel like Coach Mitch, like, he got that one year underneath him. Like, he understand that I can make my adjustments. I know. I think last year, they got rattled. They didn't understand how to close our game. He didn't know when to call timeouts and make subs. But, you know, like you said, they hungry. They learn from that, and they're going to grow from it.

11:44Yeah, experience. Experience. Well, listen, let's stay on the Sixers for a minute, because everybody's looking at them, right? You at one point said that, you know, listen, I want to be a GM one day, right? I want to run a team. What do you like about the Sixers? What don't you like about the Sixers? Put your GM slash analyst hat on, right? What do you like about this team? What don't you like about this team? I like the pieces they have. I think most importantly, I just don't want to study anybody's growth. And I think it's going to be hard because, like I said, Jalen Brown's one of those guys that finally MVP wants to be a number one option.

12:13He's proven that he can be there. He led the Celtics to a number two seed with Jason Tatum being out. So now what role do you come in? Do you take the back seat now and just focus on trying to win? I know Embiid probably kind of want to take that because he wants to win the championship, but Bron has won one. I feel like you put Bron as basically the point guard on this team. He has to be to run the show, get everybody involved. But Max, he's a young star trying to grow and continue to be an all-star and end up being a superstar. And he have a second-year player coming to VJ. Like, what do he do?

12:39Like, do you take the back seat and be the fourth or fifth option when you can't be aggressive? So for me, you can't do this because it's not the right thing to do. But for me, if I was a GM, I would basically bring Vijay off the bench, to be honest. I would put Caldwell Pope in that starting lineup because you need a defender and a knockdown shooter. Now, if Vijay becomes a knockdown shooter, which he already does defensively, then okay, he can stay in the starting lineup. But I think it's going to be hard when you've got five guys looking to get 15 to 20 shots a game. Yeah. Well, what don't you like about the team?

13:04Well, I don't like it. Ain't nothing I don't like. The only thing I don't like is they just lost their backup center. He got towards Achilles in the preseason game. So I think they have to find somebody for that. So they might get that little injury reception they can get and go get somebody. But I think they don't have depth at the big man position. But other than that, I love what they have. Anthony Simons off the bench. You know what I mean? Caldwell Pope off the bench. We have a lot of good pieces they added to their team. You got Dean Wade, another guy that can defend and make corner three.

13:26So they have the pieces. I think they just might not have the depth at the center position. Yeah. Well, how do you attack them? How do you attack them? Oh, I'm running. I'm running up and down the floor. I want to see if, for one, I have to put him beating, pick and roll. I want to see if he's healthy. If that knee can move. And then we know Bron is older. a guy in a dominant force in his lead, but I got to get him to run up and down the court. I know those other three young guys want to run. I know those other two want to run, but I'm putting the beat in a lot of pick and rolls and making them work.

13:51For me, I think the most important thing is they have a lot of guys that can score the ball at a high level, but I'm packing the paint. Y 'all got to show me y 'all can be able to knock down threes. I know that's what Maxie does at a great level. He can knock down threes. We know Brown can make catch and shoot threes if he's there spacing, but I got to see if Vijay and Jalen Brown's going to be those guys that can make catch and shoot threes. I mean, I can't let them get to the paint. They get 10 toes in the paint, it's over with. Nobody's going to be stopping. They're going to be very dominant.

14:13The hard part is who's going to be guarding who? You got three guys out of your guards. You got Bron is the number one option he could be at any moment. Jalen Brown and Maxie. You only get two best defenders on the floor. Who are they going to guard? I think that's the hard part people are going to have to figure out. Yeah, and then again, if Embiid even shows flashes of who he was, I mean, he is always, I think he has been for the last few years, that difference maker, right? If he's healthy, he's there. What team, though, is no one talking about that John Wall is saying, watch out for these dudes because if you're asleep they might creep up on you.

14:42You know where I'm going. Washington? You're going to D.C. You got to go there. You have to go there. You got to give them their love because you have a guy in Trae Young that's been a star in this league. Been in the East College Finals before. You know what I mean? Know how to play the game at a high level. 20-10 guy when he wakes up. Got a guy, Anthony Davis, that's another 20-10 guy when he's healthy. Like we talk about a beat when he's healthy, what he brings to the floor. You have a young guy in A.J. DeBanson that just won number one. He's trying to prove what he can do. Keyshawn George can play well.

15:06Trey Johnson off the bench. and Bubb Keren. So you have all those guys. They have the pieces that make it work, but I think the most important thing for them is can they be healthy and can they all learn how to share the basketball as one. Yeah. But that's my sleeper, though, in the East that's going to make some noise. How about the most overrated team, like the one that's like, eh, they probably not going to do too much. For me, and it's hard to say, I think Detroit Pistons, because all the stuff they went through this summer with Jalen Durant, I think if they can get him back locked in to their core and their team, they can get back to winning and being what they was last year.

15:34But having that much drama and not knowing what's going on, do you really want to be or do you not want to be there? How does that mesh with the locker room? I think that's a team that overachieved last year, and I don't know if they can get there again. Yeah, I thought you was going to say Cleveland. I really did. I was. That was one of my teams. That was one of my teams. That was my team I really was going to say. So you're reading my mind. Yeah, I thought it was about. They was there. Yeah, I thought you were going to say the Cavaliers. Well, listen, I went, man, and I said, you know, I got John Wall coming up and switching to the, you know, business side of it for a moment slash ownership side.

16:00And one brother named Damian, he emailed me and said, you know, I would ask him what current group of NBA players, past and present, do you see eventually owning an NBA team? Definitely you've got to put LeBron up there. I think that's what his ultimate goal is to be one of those guys. Steph Curry can be one of those guys in that format. Jalen Brown, I think so. Just how smart he is, what he brings, his intelligence and what he knows, I can see him there. But KD, Kevin Durant is definitely in that picture. But I think those main guys right there, like Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and LeBron, I think those three core guys can be somebody that can own a team one day.

16:32John Waters want to own them, baby? Own a team. Yeah, I definitely want to own a team. But, you know, my ultimate goal is try to be a GM one day. Right. Like, I just love to be around. I think a lot of people think just because you're good at basketball, I'm good at basketball, we're going to mesh together. You got to know how to put personalities together, put players together that work, and make a team complete. Yeah, but that would be a different cap you were in on that. You'd be trying to tell guys why they're not deserving of the max contract, where you was on the seat where you're trying to convince that you are worthy.

16:56You know the hard part is a lot of guys, like, nowadays it's not even to be worth it. It's about you reading what somebody else got. Like if I know I'm going to, if I feel like I'm the same caliber player as this person, I'm turning down that money because he got it. Now I want to get what he got. That's all it is. That's what most of these guys do nowadays. Yeah, they just look at what other people get and say like that. If you say me and you the same type of player, and you got$40 million a year, I'm going to ask my people for$40 million a year. Or$41 million just so I can get more. Yeah, just so I can get a little bit more.

17:20It's like a bid and more. Like whoever get paid first, the second guy want to get a little bit more. Yeah. Yeah, man. What's it like being John Wall in 2026, man? I mean, I know you went through a lot and you had kind of mentioned, you know, again, your circle got smaller. You're a dad now, post-retired, you know, what's it like being you now? Oh, it's cool, man. It's fun. I still get a lot of love. Like, a lot of people wish I was still playing, but I tell them I love what I'm doing there in broadcasting and sports analysts. Like I said, being a dad, just being locked in on that, being a businessman, investing in a lot of things.

17:48I own a restaurant in Coral Gables called Mika, so I'm into that. I got a basketball team, Southeastern Melbourne in Phoenix in Australia. I invested in Zinwater. I invested in Slate Milk. I have another big deal I got going on right now, which I can't talk about, but it's going to be super exciting soon. You buying a Rose Bar? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not buying that. I'm not buying that. I think somebody already bought that one there. You can be an investor. No, I don't want that one. Most clubs don't do too good like that. But just doing that, just like investing, doing business things, just trying to grow.

18:16I have an Audi dealership that I have in Gainesville, Florida. Nice. I just got a couple months ago. So just getting into different spaces and continuing to grow and just become a smarter businessman and entrepreneur. Is it the John Wall Audi dealership? Like, what's that? No, no, it ain't that, but we working on something like that. We working on something like that. Yeah, because Jamal Massburn has a whole bunch of dealerships, man, and, like, people don't talk about it. That's the one person that kind of got me into it. Like, Kentucky guy, alumni, I wanted a great, so when I was working out and still figuring out if I was coming back to the league, he was also working out before me, and we would talk, and he was telling me about the business and just trying to figure out how it grows.

18:47So just working on that and just picking my brain with certain people I know that's been in that field and asking them how does it work. Yeah, well you want to own multiple dealers? Yeah, yeah, multiple, yeah. Okay. For sure, not just one. Yeah, okay. All Audi or different? No, no, no, all Audi. You know where Max Burnett has them Toyota ones. Those are the ones that's hard to get. Those are the ones. Those are the big franchises. Yeah, Toyota, Honda, those are the good ones. Mercedes, you got to start somewhere to get there, but we working our way. 100%. We're working our way. Biggest positive surprise now that you're retired from the NBA, what's been the most positive surprise?

19:16Positive has been like being at the draw all the time with my kids. You know, when we're playing, we miss so much time of being away. and basically your team is basically your family because you barely see your family, your real family as much. That's the most positive for me. I think the most negative is just like not being able to play knowing that it's over. But I'm enjoying everything outside of it, though. Yeah, that's the negative, though, like to still not being able to play. Yeah, because like me, I'm just competitive. Like every time I go watch a game, I'm like, this is what I'll be doing when I see somebody else not doing.

19:42And that's the hard part about me is like I think when some of us players want to be coaches, we try to want players to be what we was or do the things we did. It's never supposed to be like that. They have their own skill set, their own attributes they're great at. So that's why I wouldn't want to be a head coach. I like being on the backside. Well, now that you're retired, what do you like as a leader off the court? Like, I mean, you know, you got your business again, the dealership. What do you like as a businessman? It's great because me, like I said, I'm learning certain. I'm getting into so many different ventures and so many different investments I'm doing that I'm learning how these things work.

20:13It's like me being a president of basketball operations at Howard. You know what I mean? So I'm learning how to be a GM, how to analyze the NIL. how do you work a budget of getting players to come here or go hit the portal and see how much we can offer this guy, offer that guy. So just learn all the business aspects on different levels. Yeah. Well, listen, let's take a step back, right? Because all of that learning and it all comes from somewhere, right? You born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Southside, right? What was that like for you coming up down in Raleigh? It was tough. It was tough, not easy.

20:40My pops was resting most of my life and got out when I was nine and passed. So I've always seen my mom work three to four job is to make sure we was able to do what we can do and take care of the family. She would pick us up from school, take us to school, that's the only time I was here. So she really knew, never knew how good I was at basketball. She was like, is he good? Is he really good? Barely made basketball tournaments, sometimes, wouldn't pay the light bills so I can go play a tournament. And mind you, this is when I'm 13, 14. I don't know if I'm ever going to make the NBA. This is just her giving me the opportunity to reach that.

21:06And in my neighborhood, they always knew that I had a chance to be something, so they never allowed me to do things that other people was doing. And I always think that, and I feel like where I'm from, the south side of Raleigh, made me who I am as a man today. So that's why I'm always doing backpack giveaways, turkey drives, feeding the Salvation Army. I'm at one of the best basketball tournaments right after Christmas, the John Wall Holiday Invitational in North Carolina. So it made me who I am today and it made me the man I am. And I'm glad I'm able to go back and show my kids where I'm from and all the positive I've been doing.

21:33Yeah. Biggest thing you learned from your mom, Frances, you passed away in 2019. And, you know, again, you mentioned it, you know, sacrificing all the time for you. What's the biggest thing you learned from your mom? Just hard work. Hard work. And she always told me just be known as a better person, not just a good basketball player. I think that's where I try to carry myself is always being polite to people no matter where I am and always giving back. Because even when I was where I was, she would be up at 6 a.m. going to TJ Maxx and Marshalls to go shop or go work at AE tournament, work at the front door.

22:00And people are like, why are you here working? And she's like, this is what I want to do. My gift is to give and give back. And I think that's what I kind of took from her. Yeah, man. It's so funny because I heard you talk about a story of how she drunk Budwises. like my mom used to drink Budweiser, right? Like it's there, man. But do you still text her number every morning? For sure. Wow. I made sure I paid the bill for that for the rest of the time. I'm going to be on this earth so I can send my daily texts in the morning and my daily texts at night. How does that help you? It helps me because I know like she can't respond, but I can still send my message and know that I like nobody else has a number.

22:32Nobody else can ever respond to it the way I want to. And then, you know, sometimes you have your moments when you just sit at home and you just reflect. and I always look at pictures and reflect and my display screen on my phone is like my first game against the Sixers and we win the game and I give her a hug and I always just keep it as my biopic. What was it like coming up you know again a black man in America trying to play basketball right without a dad. I was talking to a dear friend of ours Michael Lee you know at the Washington Post and he was saying you know man John told me one time about how you know he didn't go to the beach for a long time because the last time he saw his dad.

23:07I would imagine you've been back there since with your own kids, right? A little bit. But I'm sure it was hard. But what was that like for you coming up without a dad? It's tough. I think I'm not the only person like that, but I think just having a great mom. She basically was my mom and dad. You know what I mean? She ended up having a stepdad down the road. But just seeing the sacrifice that she made for me and my sisters to make things happen and just having a great support system. My family around me, my aunts, my cousins, they're always there. But it's not easy. You know what I mean? Because you got to think in middle school or elementary, some career day, dads come, just tell them how they career day or my dad come pick me up.

23:39I never had that. I never got to experience that. So that's why I embraced me being present with my kids, being there, take them to school, pick them up from school, because I know my dad could, he would have, but he didn't get the opportunity to. So it was definitely not easy, but it also made me who I am and made me stronger to be able to go through adversity. And I always feel like God give his toughest battle to his strongest people. Yeah. What age did you fall in love with basketball? I've been playing basketball since I was two. I was getting buckets. Really? Like it just came to you naturally?

24:05Like nothing just - I was like 10, 11, averaging like 30 and 40. Wow. But I was just little. Like even in 10th grade, I was like 5, 7, 5, 8. So you didn't watch cartoons on a Saturday and nothing? You just was hooping on them? I'm hooping all day. Like nowadays, these kids be on internet all day. I'm, once homework goes, I'm pume outside. Outside. Boys and Girls Club, gotta shout out to Boys and Girls Club because that's where I used to go to after school. Go do your homework and we'd play all the time. PJ Tucker, one guy from my same area, he grew up in the Boys and Girls Club. So Lavelle Mote and the coach at North Carolina Central, they all went there.

24:34And it's like, it built us who I want. I care to like figure it out, like go outside and do different things. Yeah. Well, that mixtape, man, again, that changed your life, I'm sure. Right. Back in 2009, that was. Yeah, 2009. When that came out, your junior, senior year in high school, man. And, you know, people discover. I remember I saw Brandon Jennings play for the first time when I was at Rutgers. All right. And so I didn't see you, but I was at Rutgers. I was a PA. And I'm like, dude, this dude got the it. He just got it. And then I go see your mixtape. I'm like, yo, him and Brandon Jennings, like, they just, they're there, right?

25:03How did that change your life? Like, you walking around campus, like, everybody knew who you was. Well, it was interesting because in my junior year, I could have left and go to, like, Oak Hill or anywhere, you know what I mean, and go play. And I'm like, I'm the one playing in the country. I'm in North Carolina. Why would I leave where I'm from? So now it's more fun because everybody from my neighborhood, my family, can come to every game and pack it out. And it was dope. It was like, I'm glad social media wasn't around then because, like, you get camera phones, they're watching everything and seeing everything you do.

25:26So it kind of, for me, took away from me trying to be a kid. Like, when I went to college, me, DeMarcus Cousin, Eric Bledsoe, Patrick Patton, all of us, Daniel Orton, we were rock stars. We couldn't walk from here to across the street. I guess cars are unlimited right there. So it kind of prepared me for what the NBA would be like a little bit earlier than I probably wanted to expect it. But, I mean, it's a great experience to live in and be in that moment. I think the most important thing is just staying humble and hungry through the process. So my favorite quote is, never satisfied, so determined.

25:52That's what I live by. No matter how much you accomplish, don't get satisfied. And I always want to be determined to be better. To get better. Yeah. Again, you go to Kentucky, man, get drafted in 2000 and first round pick. A good friend of mine, too, I called him up. His name is Ed Tapscott. Oh. Right. You know Taps. And I called Taps up. I said, man, I got John Wall coming. What would you ask him? He says, you know, he's been through so much. Drafted at 19. He was a captain when he first got there. Right. It was a lot put on him. What would he tell the 19-year-old John Wall sitting in that draft room about how to navigate what's to come?

26:23Knowing what you know now, you know, play the 11 seasons, John. You went through your injuries, had five all-star appearances, all-NBA team, max contracts. What would you tell that 19-year-old about how to navigate life in the NBA? That's a great question. It's kind of hard to kind of figure out and answer on the spot. But I would say just do it the way you did it. I think you can't take anything away from the way I did it. I think every time I step between those court, I give everything I had 110%. I think most important, the only thing I would take back is the injuries, but you can't control that because it's a part of the game.

26:54It's a part of what goes on. But I think just be locked in. Pay attention to signs a little bit earlier. When things are thrown out there and people show you their true hands, believe it. But I'm big on loyalty is love. So, you know what I mean? I see somebody I'm locked in with. I don't want to believe what I'm seeing or believe is true right away, and I kind of let it go a little bit longer. I think that's the only thing I probably would change. That and injuries, but injuries you can't change. Yeah, you wouldn't change that mindset because, again, your favorite player was Allen Iverson, right?

27:20And I was in Philly. He played through everything, right? Same, same. You wouldn't do that differently knowing that your body may be able to hold up a little bit better? Nah, because I felt like, and I take a quote from Michael Jordan, you know what I mean? Like, if somebody bought a ticket, they might be the only time to buy a ticket to watch me play. If I can go out there and compete and it's not broke, why not go out there and put on a show for them? So that's one of my other quotes I use. I think the only thing different now, and I tell a lot of these young guys now, use the resources. Like, they have trainers.

27:47They can have their own personal trainer come work with the team staff. We didn't have that at that time. We had to use what the team gave us and things like that. We really wasn't getting second opinions. It was whatever the team doctor said or they said, you're going to go do and do that. So I think just me getting second opinions and doing other things a little differently, yeah. But playing and competing, nah, I loved it. Because if you would have found out about those bone spurs earlier, I mean, imagine what would have happened, right? I'll show you a picture later and you'll be like, whoa.

28:10Yeah, I mean, listen, you describe it like that. I'm like, wow, right? But, you know, listen, your time in the NBA, you know, you had a lot of success, right? When you get max contracts, you're pretty good. You well off, right? But if you had to look back and you had to describe your career in one word, what word would that be? Electric. Electric. Why electric? Because every time I went out there, it's like I can have six points, but it looked like I had 20 because it was so spectacular. Electric, and it's like I never tried to make every play spectacular, but it just was a natural ability and my instincts to just go with the Florida game and just playing.

28:41So I would say electric or I'd say a dog. A dog. Yeah. I like that better because, I mean, you can't – your highlights look that, man. Listen, you know, me and Michael was talking for a while about you, man. He said, yo, the dude had nine steals his first home game, right? I was mad because they didn't tell me I could have bought the record with 10. I could have got one more. Quadruple, double, I was like nine steals. And so, again, man, I'm looking. I love that dog in you. I say dog. I go dog. I take that bad dog. Yeah. Well, listen, since we only won names, right, when I say these names, you tell me the first thing that pops to mind.

29:11And I'm going to start because I just said it in Allen Iverson. My goat. Goat. I love it. Steve Nash. First player to cook you in the NBA, you said. Steve Nash. I'd say crafty. Crafty. Yeah. I love that. David West. I love David West, man. That's my guy. Like, give him the heart cap. Like, heart cap. Like, he's a glue guy to any team. Like, he don't do too much, but he fits right in, so he get the heart cap for me. Yeah. Yeah, I love that, man. Chris Paul, another North Carolina guy. PG. Point guy. Yeah, I call him point guy. Yeah. He's a point guy, bro. Yeah. Like, the way he can structure a game, manipulate a game, do whatever he needs, do everything his team needs at any point in time, knowing to take the right shot, I do that thing.

29:46Point guard. Yeah. Flip Murray. Another guy from Philly. You watched him down at Shaw, man. You said, I used to watch Flip Murray. I didn't want to, because he got street ball game and brought it to the league. So, whatever you want to call it, street ball legend, street ball NBA legend, whatever you want to call it. Street ball legend might be the one, man. He got it. He did. I first seen him, I'm like, no way. He shouldn't be playing at Shaw. Yeah. He came through communities, man. Yeah, he shouldn't be playing at Shaw. Yeah. He was a real deal. Flip was a legend. He was a street legend. He was, man.

30:11He held his own. He held his own, man. I ask about Bradley because there were times, us writers and journalists, we always say when the Wizards come in town, it's the John Wall, Bradley Bill show, back and forth. And Michael Lee brought up another story. He says, man, there were times he would just go back and forth and they were good, but sometimes he may have left out other guys. He gave me an example of Otto Porter, who had nine shots one half, second half he only gets two touches because you and Brad was going back and forth. But that's your brother. Right? And I know that you guys had those great moments and then it ended.

30:45But when you think back on his game, right, what would you, how would you describe Brad Bill in one word? What's a word? Smooth. Smooth. Why smooth? Smooth, because he just, his game is just smooth. Like he don't do too much. He's not super flashy. He gonna get to his spots, pull up, jump, catch and shoot three, got one of the nice jump shots that scene, and get to the basket. So I'd say his game is just smooth. He gonna give you 30 and it's smooth. He ain't gonna talk. He gonna just be cruising. Yeah. Do you wish that maybe things ended differently there at the last few years you guys were there?

31:13Oh, for sure. I think, but, you know, it's a part of the game. I mean, I dealt with injuries, and then he started to blossom and get better with time. And then hopefully we could have got that one chance to see how it would have went when I came back from injury. But we didn't get that. But, yeah, I think I wish I would have got another run to play with him. Yeah, for sure, definitely. Yeah, I was going to say Ken Baysmore, but I'm like, man, that might trigger something. Oh, no, just injure me. Just injure me. That took you out that year because y 'all really felt y 'all could have beat the Cavs.

31:38Like, y 'all would have at least given up. I feel like we was a team out of the East, and I think they probably said we would have beat them. Probably not, but I think we would have gave them a great chance. That would have been the East Conference Finals a lot of people wanted to see. Because in the regular season, we were always on TV competing against each other. I think we was the one team that me and Kyrie, we were going to do our thing. I think Brad will win the two-guard matchup. Bron, cool. Three men, we don't have him at the center. I feel like we win that against Trinidad Thompson. The four men is up in the air.

32:02So it's 2-2, and then it's just a wild card that's out there. So I think we could have competed well against them. Yeah, and that game seven, it comes down to anything, right? Anything, right? Another friend of mine, man, I hate him up, and I say, what would you ask John Wall, right? J. Michael, right? J. Michael, he says, you know, if you could do it all over again, would you have forced your way out of D.C. sooner and maybe join a super team knowing that you wanted to put yourself on a championship? You say no, and I agree because I asked Michael Lee that same thing. He says, no, John, his dad was from D.C., and he took it personal to play there.

32:33I would have never left D.C., never wanted to leave D.C. I wanted to be like Kobe and Dirt and Whiskey, play for one team my whole career. I mean, to the point where they would have had to tell me I had to leave. But no, everything I did, everything I did for the community, like giving back, still doing things there, I wanted to win for that city. I mean, it was nothing else I wanted to do but to win for the city, like try to bring a championship there, try to get to the finals, and try to do all those things. So, no, I would have never pushed my way to go. Because it's not guaranteed if I go to a super team, I'm going to win.

33:00That's right. You're not guaranteed. You know what I mean? It's like, are you going to get the same love that you get from when you was at? So no, I would have stayed. It's funny because in his career, Karl Malone was playing with the Lakers and he never won the championship. Yeah. I think he blew his knee out. He had an ACL injury. I'm like, man, it's nothing that's promised. It was him, Gary Payton, all of them over there. Absolutely. Gary really got one in Miami. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He got one. He got one. But hey man, get you out of here on some fun stuff in a minute, but any other missed investment opportunity that you just like, if you can go back, you would say, man, I probably would have did that.

33:28And a classic example of that was Derrick Rose was sitting right here too and he could have invested in a Chick-fil-A in downtown Chicago. Any missed out on that, right? Any investment opportunity you missed? I think HyperRise. HyperRise came out very early and I got opportunity to invest in that and I just ain't do it right then. Wow. And I was hot. Yeah. To this day, I'm still hot. Yeah. So it's like two others. I can't forget the name, but it's like two others I should have did, but at the time I just wasn't in the right space to do it. I was in the right space but my mind wasn't there for it.

33:57I didn't have the right team around me to give me the game, the information, the details I needed on it. So I'm mad I miss out on that. Rob Markman Any real estate? You in any apartment complexes? Is there anything like that? Rob Markman I'm doing that right now. Rob Markman Nice. Rob Markman In North Carolina? Rob Markman No, in Florida first, then I get to North Carolina. Rob Markman Okay. Rob Markman Apartment buildings? Rob Markman Yeah, yeah. Rob Markman Okay. Rob Markman Is it around college communities? Rob Markman It's more so like one of areas like Broward right now. And then I got another investment portfolio I'm doing with 11 condos.

34:25That's right by Giselle, the restaurant, 11 Club. I invested in 11 condos that's coming up there. Love it. Love it. Any crypto? You into that? Mm-mm. No crypto? I haven't gotten to no crypto. Are you going to look into it maybe one day? I don't know. I might. I think I like where I'm at. But you know what I mean? It's like people try everything and I try to stay in my own lane. And if I get the right resources and somebody come with the right opportunity, yeah. But you know what I mean? I think some of us might get an investment. Like, can't we put a million dollars in this? I'm like, okay, no.

34:51I'd rather take 10 things and put 100 ,000 in 10 things and hopefully one of those hit. Because if I just put a million in one thing and the other, out of that one don't hit and the other 10 hit, I'd be mad. Yeah. So I like to spread it out and get myself a variety. Yeah. I love that, man. Well, listen, what do you want to see in a business pitch? Somebody has an idea, they want to pitch you, they see you on the street. John, I got this idea. What do you want to see in their pitch to make you, you know, get into it? I think most important people, I've been dealing with this my whole career, like friends, family, bringing like business ideas to me.

35:17And I'm like, are you putting any of your money up? Like they don't want to put not a dollar up. Like, you want me to put all my money up, but, like, I don't care. You don't got to put, like, what I'm putting up. At least put something in,$5 ,000,$10 ,000. Show me that you even believe in. Like, you don't put nothing up. I don't want to feel like it's worth it. Yeah. That's my biggest thing. Like, if somebody bring an investment to me or an idea, like, are you invested in it? Or do you think it's going to be like that? Like, anybody can say, I think it's going to do this. Everybody come with a lot of ideas, but at least show me that you're putting something towards it.

35:42And I'll catch you in. You got something to lose with that money. Yeah. I don't want to be the only one to lose. Yeah.

35:51Maybe a girl. I have a daughter, man. I hope you get a girl. That's going to really change your life, right? But what do you want your business empire to be in one word, like when you're ready to pass it off to your sons? Wealthy. Wealthy. Yeah. Well, that's an easy one, man. I love that one. I want their own wealthy. But at the same time, I wanted to be wealthy where they don't have to do stuff, but they're going to have to work for it. I'm not just going to hand them everything at one time. I'm like, let's say they're 18. I'm like, hey, you might get$5 million, but you only get a certain amount every month.

36:17I'm not giving you a boatload of money at once. they don't know what to do with it. They've never been through that experience. They never went through it. They've never been guided through it. So hopefully they have a great financial team around and great people around that can guide them and show them how to go. I'm going to do my best I can while I'm here. But at the same time, you know, kids get older, we don't know what it's going to be in the next 10, 11, 12 years of how the world's going to grow and improve. Yeah, love that, man. We'll get you out of here on some fun stuff. If I gave you 10 grand right now, it'll be a loan, right?

36:42But what's the first thing you invest in with that 10 grand? How long I got to pay you back? How long I got to pay you back? I'll give you five years. these prep schools. Okay. Oh, nobody's ever said that before. Yeah, I'm going to invest in. Why that? Why prep schools? Because these prep schools are taking over, and then you have all this NIL. You're getting all these top schools, all these top players that want to go to these schools. So, like a school like Prolific Prep, like an amazing school. They about to do something spectacular. Yeah. You have like IMG, all these other schools. So I think investing in that, you're going to get your money back quick.

37:08Right. Yeah. I love that, man. John Wall's superpower. What is it? Take mosquitoes and bugs away. I don't like to be big. Like, I be trying to be in the backyard of Florida I'd enjoy my backyard, right? And I'd be getting tore up. So my superpower was to get the bugs out of here. That my superpower, get the bugs out of here. I love that, man. Top AI app. What are you using nowadays? You into it? Nope. No? But I have a guy that I'm one of my close friends I'm doing business with now. He started AI, so he's putting me on a game of how it works and does things. So I have a better answer to that. No chat GPT, no claw, no nothing yet.

37:38People use chat GPT sometimes from like, you know what I mean? Yeah. You have to research something. That's how you can tell you from the old school, man. We just do things a little bit differently. I go to Google quicker. Let me figure something out. Yeah, I love it, man. Well, listen, I get you out of here on this, and you should know. My favorite business book, Good to Great by Jim Collins. And I ask you, what's the difference between a good NBA player, here we are in 2026, and a great one? I think every NBA player that comes to NBA is good. And that's something you have to explain to your friends because they have to be good enough to get to them.

38:08They all average 20 at some point, right? So I think that's a good one. A great one is the one that has the routine. It's always on schedule, on time. I'm like, if practice is at 10, they're the first ones in the gym. They're doing extracurricular things of watching film, breaking down film, being the last guy to lead the gym. So I think the great ones are the ones that has a schedule, sticks to their routine, and try to get better and develop every single day throughout the season. Yeah, I love that, man. Well, listen, John, I appreciate the time. You got to come back, talk more business, man.

38:35And good luck on season two, man. Appreciate it. Listen, if you don't keep it real, man, I'm going to be on them comments too, like, yo, John playing around. He's not talking the truth. Shout out NBA Prime, man. See them too on the way October 23rd, but we keeping it real on there. I love it, man. Keep on doing your thing. John Wall here at the NASDAQ in the Enterprise Zone. Thank you for watching. Thank you for listening.