Kentucky basketball great John Wall accepts a job with another college program
One of the greatest players in Kentucky basketball history will be working for another college program when the 2026-27 season begins.
John Wall has been hired as the president of basketball operations at Howard University, which is located in Washington, D.C., where Wall spent the bulk of his professional career after leaving UK as the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 2010.
ESPN was the first to report the news of Wall’s addition to the Howard basketball staff. That report said Wall has already taken a “hands-on approach” to the position, taking an active role in evaluating recruits and transfer portal targets, as well as helping the program with overall roster management strategy, NIL negotiations and player mentorship, among other duties.
Former Duke player Kenny Blakeney, a Washington, D.C. native, has been the head coach at Howard since 2019, and he’s led the Bison to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years. Last season, Howard won a First Four game before losing to top-seeded Michigan, the eventual national champion, in the round of 64.
Wall was born and raised in North Carolina, but he also has close ties to Washington, D.C., which became his home after the Washington Wizards selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He played nine seasons with the Wizards and was a five-time All-Star before injuries derailed his career.
The Wizards made the playoffs in four of Wall’s five All-Star seasons, and he was the face of those teams while remaining active in the Washington, D.C. community. He played parts of two seasons with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers before officially retiring from the league last year, though he hadn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2023.
Wall returned to the UK basketball scene as his playing career was coming to an end. He attended several games during John Calipari’s final season as Kentucky’s coach in 2023-24, actively supporting his former college coach.
He has also supported current UK coach Mark Pope, appearing as the surprise guest at last year’s Big Blue Madness, where he recreated the dance he made famous at that event in 2009, before his spectacular freshman season as a Wildcat. Wall led UK to a 35-3 record in Calipari’s first season as Kentucky’s coach, helping to put the program back on track to national relevance after years of relatively subpar results.
Kentucky made the Final Four in 2011, the season after Wall’s departure, marking the Cats’ first trip to the national semifinals in 13 years.
Wall’s hiring at Howard comes at a point when Pope — facing scrutiny after a disappointing second season as UK’s coach — is shuffling his own staff and looking for a new approach to roster-building efforts.
Pope is replacing two assistant coaches this offseason following the departures of Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart. He’s already hired former NBA All-Star Mo Williams for one of those roles.
The Kentucky coach has also hired Keegan Brown, who worked under Pope at BYU, as UK’s director of roster management, a role designed to help the coaching staff evaluate talent for future UK teams. Brown, who was most recently the video coordinator for the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League affiliate, worked in a similar role at BYU.
Pope is also expected to hire for at least one more position that will aid the staff in roster management and player negotiations this offseason.
