John Wall and Russell Westbrook faced off once again, following the trade that sent Wall to Houston and Westbrook to Washington.

Wall had long been part of the Washington Wizards’ franchise before being traded to the Houston Rockets. Westbrook was a big part of the Rockets last year but was traded to Washington for Wall before the 2020 season started. The trade was a result of both point guards requesting a trade from their respective teams.

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Tuesday night was the first matchup between the two point guards since the trade. Wall was pumped up and ready to beat his former team and Westbrook. The 30-year-old finished the game with 24 points and led Houston to victory. On the other side of the ball, Westbrook has a solid outing of his own, but his 19 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists were not enough.

A notable moment between the two stars occurred on a play where Wall stumbled on a Westbrook drive that resulted in a foul. The two guards exchanged words with one another before officials intervened and issued a double technical foul.

The Rockets’ point guard described the altercation as “just basic basketball trash talk.” Wall noted that this was one of the rare times he’s beaten his Washington counterpart, “This is only my third win against Russ, I think since I’ve been in the league, so that means that he’s a hell of a talent.”

Meanwhile, Westbrook had different opinions on the matter. The Wizards’ star said, “Now listen, I don’t start talking s—t… I defend myself because I don’t just allow people to say just anything, especially when I know the facts as it pertains to anybody on the court playing against me.” The All-Star went on to claim that the trash talk started because Wall was winning. “So, I think [Wall] just started talking s–t because they just started to win, started winning at that time,” Westbrook said.

The Wizards’ star finished off his remarks by reminding everyone that the two will face off one more time this season. “So, you know, it’s cool, though, we play them again,” he said.

Ever since Bradley Beal was snubbed from making a third consecutive All-Star team, he’s put together some notable performances including back-to-back 50 point games. His 34 points in Sunday’s 124-110 victory over Golden State set a franchise record of most games (18) with at least 25 points.

“Honestly, I could care less about how I’m playing as long as we’re winning,” Beal said. “Because my career highs and those good games, what is the record? We’re 1-9 when I score 40 or something. That’s terrible. I’m not happy about that. I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Oh yeah, but I scored 40.’ No, we got to win, and that’s what I’m about.”

Since returning from the All-Star break, Beal is averaging 36.0 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field. Coach Scott Brooks told ESPN how highly Beal is regarded among players and coaches.

“He’s been pretty good ever since I’ve been here, four years now he’s gotten better,” Brooks said. “We all know [what happened]. Unfortunately, he didn’t get it, but the players voted him second, that says a lot. The coaches, we think we know it all, we think we see it all, but the players know it. They know: He’s impossible to guard. He’s one of the elite [shooting guards]. Right now, there’s James [Harden]. He’s the only one scoring more points than him. He’s really efficient. … Can you imagine if he was an All Star what he’d be doing right now?”

Brooks later discussed the impact Beal’s had on a Wizards’ team that’s been without starting point guard John Wall since last season.

“Two words: He is a consistent winner,” Brooks said. “And that’s what it is about. In this league, you can have a game here and there, but in order to be special, you have to play with consistent play, and Brad does. … There were some defensive strategies out there tonight, and we see that they were double-teaming him and then running a box-and-one, and then it seemed like a box-and-one with a double-team. He finds a way. He finds a way to get buckets; he finds a way to get his teammates open, but the level of consistency that he plays with, to me, is what keeps him at that level of special.”

Beal is averaging a career-highs in points (30.4) and assists (6.1) while the Wizards fight for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Nets by four games.

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“You definitely want to leave your mark,” Beal said. “If [records] happen along the journey, those are great accolades. I’m definitely humbled and honored by them, but they don’t motivate me to go out there and do what I do. I play for a higher purpose more so than accolades.”

The Washington Wizards and guard Bradley Beal agreed to a two-year extension to his original contract worth an extra $72 million this week. This was to be his last year of the deal.

This is significant, as many believe it will change the course of free agency to come. An extension of this type and amount will allow Beal to potentially sign the largest contract in NBA history, since he will be in his prime at the end of the three years left: he will be 29 in 2022.

Beal told reporters on Thursday that he loves Washington, D.C. and hopes to stay there for the rest of his NBA career.

“I love DC,” said Beal. “This is where I always wanted to be and this is where I wanna be for the rest of my career.”

Beal and teammate John Wall both signed huge contracts that show the Wizards’ confidence in their tandem. Owner Ted Leonsis signed large and long term contracts with both players early on in their careers before they had reached their prime, while they still showed promise. The most untested of these was Beal. Both players grew during their contract and their time on the team together.

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Beal also had a history of injuries before the original five-year, $128 million dollar contract in 2017. After that deal, he had his most productive years and the Wizards reached the playoffs.

Given the fact that superstar players have been increasingly moving from franchise to franchise and teaming up with other stars recently, it seems like an old strategy to keep a young core intact with max contracts the way Leonsis is. Sure, this strategy has payed off with improvement. However, the Wizards have also been scrutinized for their other roster moves in the past.

Wall, who has had a problem staying healthy before his own max deal in 2013, will miss all of next season with a torn Achilles tendon. Meanwhile, Beal signed the contract mainly due to the future and what the franchise is doing to add to the roster.

“He’s thrilled about all the resources that Ted is pouring into the franchise,” said Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein, who added his client is “thrilled how committed [Leonsis] and [General Manager] Tommy [Sheppard] are to building something special.”

The NBA season is just days away from starting. Staying healthy will be Beal’s number one focus until then.

Washington Wizards leader John Wall has been battling a plethora of injuries since signing his new deal with his team to be the face of the franchise.

Wall is a five-time All-Star who averages almost 21 points and nine assists a game throughout his entire career. But Wall has received major criticism for the major deal he struck with the Wizards, and he himself has recognized the criticism.

“The only thing I questioned was ‘the worst contract in NBA history,'” Wall said, according to Sports Illustrated. “That was my lowest point because I was like, do I really deserve this money? Did I really earn it?”

Wall is set to miss another massive chunk of the upcoming season, and his super-max contract extension will kick in, with many of the league’s analysts calling it “the worst contract in the league.”

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“To say I have the worst contract in NBA history, that’s all I needed,” Wall said, according to Sports Illustrated. “The ones that doubted me on the highest level I don’t speak to because I know my game will do the talking when I get back to playing.”

The 28-year-old is set to receive $38 million this upcoming season in the first year of his deal. That salary will increase over four seasons. He is set to make $47 million in the 2022-23 season.

Wall made the All-NBA third team back in 2017, which was his first career All-NBA achievement honor. With that honor, that made him eligible for a super-max deal with his team. He signed a $171 million contract last season, and sustained a heel injury, then a ruptured Achilles. By the time he returns after his Achilles injury, it will be 18 months since he has played in a competitive basketball game or practice. This means he will have some cobwebs to shake off before entering back into the fray of All-NBA status.

The former Boston Celtics‘ star and Denver Nuggets backup Isaiah Thomas has moved on to join the Washington Wizards on a one-year deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The 30-year-old has suffered through injuries the past few seasons, but believes he can return to his old form with training this offseason.

Thomas has played eight seasons in the NBA and is most famously known for his time with the Celtics. In the 2016-17 season, Thomas averaged 28.9 points a game and was a second-team All-NBA player that season. He suffered a right hip injury that saw him out for more than eight months and was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has since moved to the Los Angeles Lakers and to the Nuggets. The Nugs made the second seed in this year’s season and have incredible depth in the back-court, led by Jamal Murray and Gary Harris. Thomas found it difficult to find significant play time, but helped the team the best he could.

“Denver allowed me to take really as much time as I needed to get back to 100 percent health,” Thomas said, according to ESPN. “Obviously, I wanted to play, and I thought I could’ve contributed in the regular season and playoffs, but I understood [coach Mike Malone’s] decision, and I think I contributed in other ways as a leader, as someone who was there to answer the questions of the younger guys. I stayed ready and prepared to play.”

Thomas has played a total of 42 games the past three seasons. He expects to obtain a full offseason of preparation ahead of joining his new team this fall. He joins a team led by John Wall,and is still unsure whether or not Bradley Beal will still be with the team come the new season.

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“When I look at it from the outside, I understood it. I missed 50 games, the team was having a helluva season, and it wasn’t easy to just squeeze me in there when so many guys were playing so well. They didn’t want to mess up what they had going. I understood it.”

John Wall has spent his entire NBA career with the Washington Wizards, although that hasn’t prevented him from showing what NFL team he truly supports.

Wizards Guard John Wall Wears Throwback Cowboys Jersey To Redskins Game

On Sunday, the 26-year-old point guard arrived at the Dallas Cowboys’ 27-23 road win over the Redskins at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland donning a throwback Emmitt Smith Cowboys jersey.

 The move surely drew anger from the mostly-Redskins-fans stadium.

Wall even went so far as to throw up the “X” before talking to wide receiver Dez Bryant on the sidelines before the game.

The Redskins quickly noted, however, that Wall has supported both teams. He has been shown wearing a Redskins jersey in the past, although many believe his true loyalties lie with Dallas.

Redskins (0-2) fans roasted Wall for donning a Cowboys jersey Sunday in Washington territory, given that the North Carolina native has always played in D.C.

The Cowboys (1-1) won after Alfred Morris scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard run with less than five minutes remaining. Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins threw an end-zone interception.

With rookie Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott scrambling for a 6-yard TD in the second half, the Cowboys won for only the second time in their past 16 games without the injured Tony Romo– and both of those wins came at Washington.

Prescott finished 22 for 30 for 292 yards.

Cousins went 28 for 46 for 364 yards, with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder in the third quarter that gave Washington its first lead, 17-13 in the third quarter.

The Cowboys will next host the Chicago Bears on Sunday, while the Redskins will visit the New York Giants on Sunday.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 25: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards reacts after missing a shot in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Verizon Center on March 25, 2016 in Washington, DC. The Minnesota Timberwolves won, 132-129, in double overtime.

The Washington Wizards and other athletes joined the President on Sunday for his annual White House Easter Egg Roll. And during a shooting competition, featuring several teams of Wizards players and children, the commander-in-chief hit the game winner.

Afterwards, he high-fived his teammates, which included John Wall, and proceeded to trash talk his opponent Paul Pierce.

“I’m clutch. I’m clutch,” said President Obama according to John Wall. He can also be seen jokingly yelling in the video, “That’s three in a row! Would you like a second?”

Other athletes at the White House’s annual event were tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, the Arizona Cardinals’ Calais Campbell, WNBA star Angel McCoughtry and more.

Washington Wizards guard John Wall broke down in tears following the 133-132 double overtime win against the Boston Celtics. The usual stoic Wall dedicated the game to a recently departed friend, 6-year-old Miyah Telemaque-Nelson: who passed away from Burkitts Lymphoma Monday morning.

Wall met Miyah way back in March and instantly took a liking to her: creating a social media campaign to help the child meet her idol Nicki Minaj. A request that was granted by Minaj’s manager and organized by Washington Wizards officials through Wall’s request.

According to CSN Washington, the young star has been writing the little girl’s name on his sneakers all season: and “had kept in touch with her as recently as two weeks ago when he did a FaceTime call.” After getting the call Monday morning, informing the athlete of Miyah’s passing, the star instantly dedicated the game to her: even writing “RIP Miyah” on his sneakers and having a moment of silence before the start of last night’s game.

During the post game interview, Wall stated, “To see a little kid that fights so hard for cancer and can’t beat it — this game is for her. All my jersey, my shorts, I’m going to give it to her family.” By the end of the short interview, he was too emotional to speak, but later posted a fitting tribute to Miyah on his Twitter page.