As summer ends, masked, badgeless ICE thugs and red-state National Guard militias stalk an unnaturally quiet Washington, DC. Five years earlier, after the 2020 police murder of George Floyd, massive multiracial demonstrations filled the streets, and one protest began at Capitol One Arena led by John Wall. On August 19, Wall quietly retired from the NBA after a star-crossed 11-year career. Injuries cut short his prime, but for several seasons he captured Washington's imagination. Basketball is a way of life in the DMV, yet the city endured the moribund Wizards. Wall's family history of poverty and mass incarceration, his community work, and his unfiltered authenticity made him a beloved figure.
As summer ends, masked, badgeless ICE thugs and red-state National Guard militias stalk an unnaturally quiet Washington, DC. Five years ago, the city was different. After the 2020 police murder of George Floyd, massive multiracial demonstrations filled the streets. While these protests were constant, there was one we should be remembering this week. It started downtown at the Capitol One Arena, home of the NBA's Washington Wizards and was led, bullhorn in hand, by Wizards captain John Wall.
Basketball is a way of life in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. There is even a documentary by local product Kevin Durant called Basketball County: In the Water about the incredible percentage of pros who come from these parts. Even an above-average NBA team would be an obsession here. Instead, DC has the Wizards. The last time they won a championship, Jimmy Carter was the most powerful man on earth.
DC loved Wall, and not just because of his play-the quicksilver speed, slam-dunk award-winning hops, and 360-degree, open-floor flair. It wasn't even because Wall poured money into underserved communities and seemed to truly enjoy working with kids. It was that Wall's family was torn apart by poverty and this country's system of mass incarceration. He was raised by his mother, Frances Pulley, who worked multiple jobs to raise him and his two sisters.
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