An ex-Houston Rockets star is linking up with Amazon Prime Video’s new NBA broadcast team.
Last summer, the league finalized a new 11-season, $76 billion broadcast distribution rights deal with new partners Amazon and NBC/Peacock (returning after an extended break), plus returning partner ESPN/ABC. It kicks in this coming season.
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When Amazon launches its broadcast this fall, its starry catalogue of commentators and analysts — including Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash and six-time All-Star Blake Griffin — will be joined by another seasoned former multi-time All-Star.
Former East All-Star Becomes Major Player After Playing Career Ends
Michael Lee of The Washington Post reports that former five-time All-Star point guard John Wall, whose final productive seasons were enjoyed with the Houston Rockets, will now suit up with his former rivals to unpack the teams of today.
Wall officially announced his retirement on Wednesday. Wall has technically been out of the league since being waived by the Rockets late into the 2022-23 season.
The 34-year-old enjoyed two separate stints in Houston. First, the Washington Wizards traded Wall to the Rockets for Russell Westbrook in December 2020. The 6-foot-4 UCLA product appeared in 40 games for Houston in 2020-21, averaging 20.6 points on .404/.317, 6.8 assists, 3.2 boars and 1.1 steals a night.
After being bought out of a maximum deal in 2022, Wall joined the Los Angeles Clippers through a two-season, $13.2 million deal. His Clippers experiment didn’t take as he struggled with declining health and athleticism, and he was flipped back to Houston at the 2023 trade deadline.
The Rockets waived him before he could play a game. After he was cut, Wall failed to sign with another NBA team — and two years later, he’s evidently given up on his chances of cracking an active NBA roster. Why he didn’t explore opportunities overseas as this stage is anyone’s guess, as EuroLeague and CBA clubs would have been lining up for the opportunity to bring in a massive former American star.
Ultimately, Wall decided to sign a different kind of free agent contract, and will now help steward a brave new world of hoops broadcasting with his unique outlook.
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