In the one-and-done era, it’s somewhat disingenuous of many NBA players to emphasize the importance of a college education to the younger generation. However, a number of guys who left school early to enter the league have later returned to finish their degrees.
That’s what Wizards superstar John Wall plans to do this summer when he’ll re-enroll at the University of Kentucky to work on obtaining his bachelor’s degree in business.
Wall played just a single season at Kentucky before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He’s since found tremendous success as a pro athlete, but at the same time, he understands the importance of preparing himself for the next stage of life.
Via Candace Buckner of the Washington Post:
“I’m going back to school this summer to get my business degree,” Wall revealed. “That’s what I’m focusing on. I promised my dad that.”
“When our career is over, when we retire and the basketball stops bouncing, we still have the find something else to do,” Wall said. “Whether you want to be a general manager, a doctor, a businessman, whatever, you have to believe on everything you stand on. We’re more than athletes and the stuff that’s going on in our society and in this world, we have to speak on it. I think we have the right to say whatever we want.”
Though he was named to his fifth All-Star team this season, he was forced to sit out Sunday’s game due to a knee that required surgery and will keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks.
The Wizards currently hold the No. 4 spot in the East and hope to have their superstar point guard back in time for the postseason. Washington has played well in his absence, but they’ll need him fully healthy if they want to make a real run at the conference crown.
(Via Washington Post)
