John Wall

Before Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden arrived in the city of brotherly love, he left a situation in Brooklyn that was tenuous at best.

John Wall revealed on a podcast that UNC Tar Heels legend Tyler Hansbrough is the only reason he ended up at Kentucky over North Carolina.

But when he showed up to Chapel Hill for a visit, Wall says that Hansbrough blew him off, thus souring the point guard on ending up at UNC. I’m like, I want to talk to Tyler Hansbrough. However, there was one thing that prevented that from happening. … I’m like, ‘I need to meet Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough, this is a dream come true for me.’ School I loved growing up. As he said in an appearance on former North Carolina Tar Heels starter Theo Pinson’s Of course, his NBA career hasn’t quite turned out to plan due to injuries.

"It was just a sticky situation for all parties," said Silas, who also pushed back on Wall's claims of a broken culture in Houston.

Wall didn't mince words when discussing the Rockets' slide. The Rockets traded James Harden to Brooklyn in January 2021, and following the Harden trade, Houston quickly sunk to the bottom of the Western Conference standings. [took a number of notable shots at his former organization](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/john-wall-tanking-video-17724977.php) in an interview on Tuesday, accusing the [Houston Rockets](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/) of purposefully tanking amid an slew of grievances.

NBA player John Wall says how an encounter he had during an unofficial visit to the University of North Carolina (UNC) led him to c.

Wall said a negative encounter with Hansbrough was the reason he chose Kentucky over North Carolina.

"I go in to visit Ty Lawson and them," Wall said. Hansbrough even suggested that Kentucky might have been able to sway Wall another way. He was also a three-time Consensus All-American from 2007 to 2009. More specifically, Wall said Hansbrough left a sour taste in his mouth. Wall said North Carolina was his dream school, but the recruiting visit swayed his mind toward Kentucky. [Wall recently appeared on the "Run Your Race" podcast](https://twitter.com/PrepHoops/status/1615434453207113740?s=20&t=3gxtb0ljYyM1fDuz1GPnfw) and discussed his recruiting experience.

While acknowledging the guard's frustrating position during his Rockets tenure, the coach defends his way of holding young players accountable.

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Former Rockets point guard John Wall didn't hold back when asked about his time there, claiming it was “beyond trash” and took aim at James Harden.

When I landed, I go do my conference s***, he like, ‘Well, I’m on my way to Atlanta for Lil Baby’s birthday,’ The f***? He don’t come to training camp, none of that. You want to get on a jet?

But as soon as he got off the plane following a trade from the Washington Wizards, Wall said Harden had invited him to attend a birthday party in Atlanta ahead ...

Wall and the Rockets agreed to a buyout in June. Wall proved he still had something left in the tank during his lone season playing for the Rockets after a two-year hiatus. And Silas recently praised Wall for his time with the Rockets despite the unforeseen circumstances. But he did experience some success with the franchise before injuries derailed the team's hopes of staying competitive. He accused the team of tanking and what led to his decision to miss all of last season following a conversation with coach Stephen Silas. "He was around quite a bit — I loved talking hoops with him because he is a super smart guy," Silas said.

In a new interview, Stephen Silas pushed back on some of John Wall's harsh criticisms regarding the #Rockets and player development.

He wasn’t going to practice with the team, because, you know, the practice time was the most important thing for those young guards. The tip in the friendly confines of Toyota Center is 7 p.m. And the conversations I had with John about possibly coming off the bench or being around and being supportive, they were difficult conversations. We’re a young team, we have 19- and 20-, 21-year-old guys who emotionally they go up and down, and with their games, there is going to be inconsistency. We do things in a manner that is putting us in the direction to win every single night that we’re out there. Only in the first of those two years was Wall an active player.

John Wall opened up about all his frustrations during his chaotic stint with the Rockets, including the messy James Harden situation.

Sure enough, it’s hard to blame John Wall for his frustration on the James Harden situation. Just a little over a month later, Harden was shipped to the Brooklyn Nets. Wall was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Rockets in December 2020.

"It was just a sticky situation for all parties," said Silas, who also pushed back on Wall's claims of a broken culture in Houston.

Wall didn't mince words when discussing the Rockets' slide. The Rockets traded James Harden to Brooklyn in January 2021, and following the Harden trade, Houston quickly sunk to the bottom of the Western Conference standings. [took a number of notable shots at his former organization](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/john-wall-tanking-video-17724977.php) in an interview on Tuesday, accusing the [Houston Rockets](https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/) of purposefully tanking amid an slew of grievances.