Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd has consistently criticized John Wall since his first home game when he did the Dougie. On Thursday, Cowherd went on his show to say that Wall has no star power, and no endorsements, and that people don’t care about the Wizards. Matt Bonesteel of The Washington Post transcribed it below. The emphasis is mine:
“I think the Wizards aren’t even popular in their home town. Seriously, I think Washington is probably the least-interesting good team in the NBA. Think about this: Think about John Wall as their best player. Great player, nobody disputes that. In D.C. alone, he’s not as big as Bryce Harper, he’s not as big as the biggest three or four Redskins players, he’s not as big as Ovechkin, he’s not as big as Trump. I’m not sure he’s as popular as Tony Kornheiser.”
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“He doesn’t have star power. Where’s his big shoe deal? Where are the endorsements for John Wall? John Wall is a great player, he doesn’t have any star power. … Steph Curry’s got star power. Westbrook’s got star power. James Harden, the beard’s got star power. Aaron Rodgers, the look, the commercials, star power. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, that’s star power. John Wall’s got no star power, no influence in the league, none. Nobody goes to their games in D.C. In sports he’s about the sixth-biggest star in the city. There are columnists that are more known. Last night, the hockey ratings doubled the NBA ratings Washington. … Everyone knows the Celtics’ backstory. People in D.C. don’t even know the Wizards’ backstory. … I know Washington’s history better than the average Wizards fan does. Nobody wants to watch the Wizards. Wall doesn’t have any fans.”
As far as I know, Cowherd never met Wall in person. Yet, he continues to drive this narrative that Wall isn’t worthy of being a superstar.
And that pissed off CSN’s Chris Miller, who gave a rant. You can see the video above or here.
Before Game 6, Miller questioned whether Cowherd asked D.C. children if they thought he was a star, and former teammates who got big contracts after being beneficiaries of his unselfish play.
It’s true that Wall does lack some of the “glitz and glamour” that some other NBA point guards have, and part of it is because the Wizards haven’t been one of those “glitz and glamour” franchises. But Cowherd doesn’t seem to appreciate that Wall has led the Wizards to their best performances since the 1970’s.
If there’s one way to make Cowherd change his stance, it’s by winning. The timing of Cowherd’s statement on Thursday, and this play below in Game 6 couldn’t have been any sweeter if you’re a Wizards fan:
So c’mon Colin. Just give up the anti-John Wall narrative!