The original post “Made Me Who I Am Today” was published on Fadeaway World, where Kyrie Irving presented John Wall with flowers.
Kyrie Irving, star of the Dallas Mavericks, decided to send flowers to John Wall not long ago after the two had some epic confrontations in the 2010s.
Irving gushed over Wall and praised him for setting the standard during a live stream.
Let me give John his flowers,” Irving said. “He definitely set a precedent, set the example a year before of being a No. 1 pick, being a point guard, being everything that you could want, and being an exciting guard in the NBA.
“You gotta think, both of us came on to the scene later on in the rankings,” Irving stated. “And for us to go back-to-back as point guards in the NBA? That was generational. I don’t think it’ll ever be a run like that again of two point guards going back-to-back No. 1 picks in the best league in the world.
“So, I definitely gotta give him his flowers, man,” Irving added. “So many great matchups against him. So many great moments of just us being ultra competitive because we knew our towns, the hood back at home was talking like, who is better between us two. It made me who I am today. It helped shape my competitive drive.”
When the Washington Wizards picked Wall with the first overall pick in 2010, he became just the second guard to do so in the 2000s.
The Cleveland Cavaliers would use the first overall choice the next year to draft Irving.
When the 2010s rolled around, Wall and Irving would be in a tight race for Eastern Conference top point guard.
Part of Irving’s success in that matchup came from playing with LeBron James.
Not only does he have a 10-8 record against Wall, but he has also won a championship.
Irving played in 18 games, averaging 24.2 points, 2.8 boards, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks each game.
On a per-game basis, Wall contributed 22.8 points, 4.6 boards, 9.6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks. When they were together, they brought out the best in each other.
The rivalry would unfortunately end suddenly due to Wall’s ailments.
Things began to go disastrously wrong for him shortly after he reached his peak performance in 2016–17, when he finished seventh in MVP voting.
After injuring his heel in December 2018, Wall would miss the whole 2018–19 season.
Then, in February of this year, he hurt his Achilles tendon when he tripped and fell at home.
After his last appearance in an NBA game in 2023, Wall sat out the following two seasons.
The 34-year-old is still holding out hope for a return, even though his career is probably ended.
With his career numbers in the books, Wall has averaged 18.7 points, 4.2 boards, 8.9 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game, assuming that his tenure in the NBA has really come to an end.
He was a five-time All-Star and will be remembered as a great player for the Wizards. Even though he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in March, Irving is still a superstar in the NBA.
The Mavericks have signed him to a $119 million, three-year contract despite his injuries. Hopefully, Irving lives up to their expectations when he returns.
Leave a Reply