Basketball
The Wizards point guard says that Midnight Run gives ballers the opportunity to show their skills.
John Wall, the Washington Wizards star point guard, is the talent scout for Red Bull Midnight Run, a series of events that will ultimately attempt to answer one of basketball's long standing question: What city produces the best talent?
Labeled as the nation's ultimate bragging rights basketball competition, the Midnight Run finals is on January 10 at the Barclays Center in Brookyln. Eight of the best players from Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. will compete, representing their city and ultimately bring home the bragging rights.
We sent Jeremiah Alexis to sit down with John to get his take on the competition, the NBA All-Star game and even Dennis Rodman.
Jeremiah Alexis: Hey, John, pleasure to meet you. Talk a bit about your role in the Red Bull Midnight Run.
John Wall: Red Bull put me in a situation where it’s like my thing, my responsibility to be a leader of this competition. I think it’s a great opportunity for guys who have played in college or played overseas, or even street ball guys who are know around their city or their area.
It gives them a shot to put their town or city on the map and a chance to see if they can make it to the top.
JA: What do you think is really missing from the guys who make it in the NBA and the dudes who don’t advance past college or go to Europe? Other than talent, I mean, because a lot of these guys can certainly play at elite levels.
JW: It sometimes has to do with your decisions and the way that life works out. Everybody dreams and goals are to make it in the NBA, sometimes that doesn’t work out. I wouldn’t ever knock those guys.
I have had the opportunity the last few years to come to L.A. and play with guys who are in the D-League and I feel like some of those guys can definitely make it in the NBA, but it didn’t work out for the time being.
I have a lot of respect for those guys and they are still professional athletes in my book, just have to find their way.
JA: Do you feel some of these guys from Midnight Run have a real chance at making an NBA roster?
JW: I think some of them can. When I played summer league ball against some of these guys, I know as a fact that if they keep playing hard that some of them will have the opportunity to do that, and some of them might fall short.
I know that when I go in there I expect to see a lot of competitive guys.
For some reason when I walk into a gym, I feel the competitive energy get even higher. I guess cause they respect me as a person and a professional basketball player, but I get a lot of excitement watching these guys play.
JA: You're playing your best ball of your career, averaging 20 points and 8 assists, you gotta be a lock for the all-star team this year, right?
JW: I have no idea. My job is to be the best point guard I can be for my team and to lead this organization and this team back to the playoffs. I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, now it’s all up to the fan’s voting and the coaches decision.
JA: What would it mean for you to reach your first all-star game?
JW: It would be a dream come true, a humbling experience. It’s one of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the season and reaching that would be a great accomplishment for me and a true honor.
JA: You really are putting the Wizards on your back this year. Do you think if you weren’t selected it would have to do with the lack of national exposure the Wizards deal with?
JW: Yeah, that might be the case, it’s something that happens, but I think people are noticing what I’m doing and how I’ve improved in my game and how my team has improved because of it.
It’s a big honor and if I made it I would give a lot of the credit to my teammates and my coaching staff for putting me into those situations. They put me in position to be the best I can be, to knock down shots in clutch situations, they basically make my job a lot easier for me.
JA: You're in my conference, the East, I’m a long time suffering Knicks fan. The teams in the East are a bit weaker than they have been in a while, that coupled with your excellent play as of late, has really propelled the Wizards into the playoff conversation. Is this year a bust if you don’t make it to the playoffs?
JW: Yeah, that’s exactly the mentality we have and the way it should be. I feel like we finished last year pretty good and we have added some good pieces this year, even though some have dealt with injuries. ( Recent injuries to Bradley Beal, Nene Hilario and Glen Rice, Jr.)
Like you said, the Eastern Conference is not as strong as it has been in years past, a lot of teams have started rebuilding like we did when I first got drafted. In the end it’s up to us to put our foot forward and the main thing we need to do is find our identity and be consistent as a team.
We got back to .500 again and for some reason we lose 3 games in a row after that game and that’s hurting us, taking away from our opportunity to give us some space from other teams.
JA: You and Randy Wittman (Wizards head coach) had a disagreement the other day where he felt there was some selfish ball playing going on and you had countered that you and your team mates were just trying their hardest to win the game. How does something like that play out, is there any sparks in the locker room?
JW: Nah, no sparks at all. Everybody is not going to agree or be on the same page all the time, but the thing is you got to respect your coach and I respect everything he says and his decisions, nawmean?
Sometimes you going to disagree on things, but as long as you can look past that and go out to practice and work on everything that he said was wrong, it’s gonna get corrected, and that’s all you can do in that situation.
Playing selfishly is not just me not passing the ball. If you miss a shot and don’t hustle back to get on defense, that’s playing selfishly, too. We understand and respect each decision and sometimes you’re going to agree and sometimes your not. We know what to expect from our coaches and we trust everything coach tells us.
JA: One of the things that you seem to have really improved on this year is your defense. On December 10 against the Nuggets, you had a monster block on Kenneth Faried. As a guard how does it feel to swat a big man like that?
JW: That happens, sometimes you get dunked on like I did this year against Detroit (by Greg “Moose” Monroe). But you take your chances, I feel like I’m a good a shot blocker for my size and being a guard, so no matter what I’m always going to go out there and give it a shot.
JA: I hear that June 25 is John Wall day in D.C. If I had a day given to me in my city of L.A. I would be carried down the street in a giant throne and have hot girls throw rose petals on my path. Please tell me you spend it somewhat similar?
JW: (Laughs) Nah man, like I said it’s been a dream come true to have all these things happen to me, to get drafted number 1. When I got to D.C. and they gave me a day that’s something I’m going to be thankful for the rest of my life.
I just really want to give back to this city, that’s one reason I committed to another 5 years is because I feel like, they have put a lot of effort forward to try to make the team better and put me in the right situation as a player.
Now my job is to give back to the city, go out there create excitement and bring us back to the playoffs and hopefully bring a couple of championships back there one day.
JA: That’s what’s up. Big news of the day, Dennis Rodman is taking a group of former NBA ballers, Kenny Anderson, the big dog Glenn Robinson to North Korea for a scrimmage match. If Rodman were to have invited you, what would you have said?
JW: I would have told him let me talk about it with my team and we can make a decision from there.
JA: So no up or down vote on that?
JW: (Laughs) No up or down vote, that would have to be a discussion with my team based on our schedule or if it was a good opportunity for me.
Make sure to vote John Wall for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game and get the latest news about Red Bull Midnight Run.