Washington Wizards point guard John Wall faces a long road back to the court after rupturing his Achilles, potentially ruling him out for the 2019/20 season.
"I guess God is telling me something," Wall said of his injury, according to The Associated Press' Rich Dubroff.
"To sit down and get yourself fully healthy. I've played through injuries my whole career. I know a lot of people who played through injuries and don't sit down. That's one thing I don't like to do. If something that's nagging or not broken, I want to play. I guess it kind of caught up to me."
Wall was initially sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair bone spurs in his left heel on January 8.
During a follow-up procedure to treat an infection from his initial surgery, doctors discovered that Wall had in fact ruptured his Achilles following a fall at home, extending his stint on the sideline to 11-15 months.
"I didn't want to hear it," Wall said. "I'm kind of glad it happened now instead of when I’m four or five months ahead in recovery, trying to get back on the court, and it happens then."
Wall says he will use his time off the court productively, with the five-time All-Star planning on returning to the University of Kentucky to finish his university degree.
John Wall said he’s going to use the time off from the injury as an opportunity to finish college. Said he’s close to graduation.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 9, 2019
Wall signed a four-year, $170-million max extension in 2017 after making the All-NBA third team, with the deal set to kick in for the 2019/20 season. He appeared in only 41 games last season after undergoing knee surgery.
The 28-year-oid played in 32 games this season, averaging 20.7 points per game, 8.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.