John Wall is heading back to Washington.
The former five-time NBA All-Star has been named president of basketball operations at Howard University, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, bringing Wall full circle to the city where he spent nine seasons as the face of the Wizards.
Wall went first overall in the 2010 draft out of Kentucky and has been working as an analyst for Amazon Prime Video since stepping away from the league.
Wall's Time With the Los Angeles Clippers
For Los Angeles Clippers fans, Wall's name brings back memories of a brief and complicated chapter.
He signed with the team as a free agent ahead of the 2022-23 season after sitting out an entire year in Houston, and the hope was that he could be a veteran playmaker alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
It never quite came together.
Wall appeared in 34 games and averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists before being shipped back to Houston in a three-team deal that February.
Injuries followed him around and the fit was awkward, but Wall still showed flashes of the court vision that once made him one of the best point guards in basketball.
Why Howard Makes Sense
The Howard job feels like a natural landing spot.
Wall served as the program's honorary team captain on January 31, and that experience sparked something.
Howard officials say he has already been hands-on, sitting in on team meetings and evaluating recruits while helping shape the program's direction on NIL deals and roster construction alongside head coach Kenny Blakeney.
Howard is not a rebuild either.
The Bison went 24-11 this past season, won the MEAC Tournament, and picked up the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history before falling to Michigan in the Round of 64.
Wall brings NBA connections and a genuine feel for the game that could push things even further.
Where the Los Angeles Clippers Stand Now
The Los Angeles Clippers, meanwhile, are in a completely different place than they were during Wall's time with the team.
They finished at 42-40 and were bounced from the play-in tournament by the Golden State Warriors, ending a roller coaster year that included a turnaround from a 6-21 start.
Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game across 65 appearances, and Darius Garland posted 18.8 points and 6.7 assists after arriving from Cleveland at the deadline.
The individual production was there, but roster holes showed up when it mattered most.
The offseason now carries real questions about Leonard's future and whether the front office can fill the gaps around him and Garland heading into next year.
Wall's path has taken him far from the NBA floor, but the basketball mind is still there.
He has talked openly about wanting to run an NBA front office someday, and this role at Howard gives him the chance to build a real track record before making that jump.
For a player who once tried to make it work in Los Angeles and watched it fall apart quickly, a fresh start in a city that genuinely embraces him might be exactly what comes next.