John Wall Plans to Return to College This Summer to Pursue Degree, Fulfill Promise to Father

John Wall intends to keep a promise he made to his father, who died when Wall was young.

Wizards guard John Wall plans to return to the University of Kentucky this summer to continue pursuing his bachelor's degree, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. 

Wall, 27, said he intends to fulfill a promise he made to his father, who died when Wall was eight, to obtain his degree.

“I’m going back to school this summer to get my business degree,” Wall told The Post. “That’s what I’m focusing on. I promised my dad that.”

In January, Wall wrote a poignant open letter to his father on The Undefeated, reflecting on their relationship and revealing he wanted to finish his degree. 

"I know you’re proud of the man I’ve become," Wall wrote. "I’m the first in our family to attend college, and although I have not yet completed my degree, it is a goal that I hope to accomplish."

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Wall added that his sister ended up becoming the first in their family to graduate from college. 

Wall attended Kentucky during the 2009-10 academic year, starring for the Wildcats before leaving school early for the NBA. The Wizards selected Wall first in the 2010 NBA draft. 

“When our career is over, when we retire and the basketball stops bouncing, we still have to find something else to do,” Wall told The Post. “Whether you want to be a general manager, a doctor, a businessman, whatever, you have to believe on everything you stand on."