John Wall Weighs in on Joining Clippers–Lakers Rivalry

The former All-Star looks to bolster a formidable roster led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in his first season in L.A.

After missing over a year of action, John Wall heads into next season with a golden opportunity to remind the world of what he can do as a member of the Clippers. 

The five-time All-Star’s arrival in L.A. not only bolsters a formidable roster headlined by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but it also adds another eye-opening name to the marquee for the next chapter of the infamous Lakers-Clippers rivalry. When asked during a recent ESPN interview for his thoughts on facing LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook under the bright lights of Crypto.com Arena, Wall couldn’t have sounded more thrilled to get going.

“I love the stage. When the lights is bright, that’s the best time to perform, so I’m excited for it,” Wall said of the battle of L.A. “Both teams haven’t been healthy, both team’s haven’t been competing but we know who they have over there, and we know who we have on our side. So, I think it’s just gonna be a great battle, and I think a great opportunity for me is, that I think a lot of people get to see me play on TV. You know, being with Kawhi and those guys, they have a lot of TV games, and that’s when people get to see your show.”

While some fans may argue over the legitimacy of the rivalry given the Lakers’ storied history, Wall joins the Clippers amid a recent stretch of success over its inner-city and inner-conference foe. Over the last two seasons, the Clippers have won seven-straight games against the Lakers, four of which came in 2021–22 with George missing three of those meetings due to an elbow injury and Leonard missing the entire year (torn ACL recovery).

With Leonard and George both set to make their highly-awaited returns, Wall will look to fill his supporting role as a playmaker as the Clippers look to maintain their edge over the Lakers and make some noise in 2022–23. Of course, given the recent trade chatter involving Westbrook and Kyrie Irving, there’s a chance the rivalry could take on a completely new look by the time they square off later this year.