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On Tuesday, Washington Wizards guard John Wall was interviewed on MSNBC by anchor Craig Melvin. Since MSNBC is a “straight news” channel and not ESPN, Wall was clearly not talking about basketball. Instead, he was talking about what he could do to help the residents of Ward 8.
Washington Wizards player John Wall joins @craigmelvin to discuss his launching of a rent relief program for Ward 8 in Washington, DC, one of the region’s most underserved communities. pic.twitter.com/2TpbhQwAHx
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 26, 2020
Ward 8 is the southern-most administrative area of Washington that borders Prince George’s County, Md. to its east. It is also the Ward where Congress Heights and the Entertainment and Sports Arena are located. The Wizards already have a major connection to Ward 8 because they practice at a facility that is directly adjacent to ESA.
The program is called “202 Assist,” which will help residents in the Ward pay their rent during these pandemic times.
The @JohnWall Family Foundation is launching the “202 Assist” program — a rent relief program aimed to help Ward 8 residents impacted most by the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Ben Mehić (@BenMehicNBA) May 26, 2020
Wall was also on a call with media on Tuesday afternoon. In that call, he spoke in more detail, about his plans on whether to return this season. Our own Ben Mehic, who was on the call, reported that Wall won’t play this season upon resumption, even though he claims that he is “110 percent.”
John Wall says he's "110 percent healthy," but don't expect him to play this season. The organization has repeatedly said Wall will continue to get into top-notch basketball shape before letting him play in a real game again.
— Ben Mehić (@BenMehicNBA) May 26, 2020
John Wall doesn't know whether he'll join the Wizards in Florida -- mostly because he doesn't even know whether the Wizards will be in Florida, it seems.
— Ben Mehić (@BenMehicNBA) May 26, 2020
Even though Wall is gradually getting better and closer to a return, there is also no need for him to rush back to game action.
The NBA hasn’t officially detailed plans regarding a resumption of play for the 2019-20 season, but signs are leading toward a resumption of play sometime in July.