Kentucky HC John Calipari trolls $47.8M worth John Wall over not having NIL deals during his playing days: "My walk-ons got cars"

Kentucky coach John Calipari has developed some exemplary players during his time in Lexington. There are many NBA and other top league players who have been coached by him with the Kentucky Wildcats.

On the "Point Game with John Wall and C.J. Toledano" podcast, they talked about numerous things including Wall's first recruiting visit, one-and-done culture, the impact of NIL money, John's first game-winner and what makes Kentucky basketball special. However, what stood out was Calipari's reaction to how new players have changed their spending habits.

"The greatest thing in all of this is – every one of these kids, the first thing they did is they took care of their mom. Every one of them. That's the first thing they did. So, you know, it would have been different," Calipari. said. "None of you had a car. My walk-ons (now) got cars. They got a parking lot of cars. Are you kidding me?"

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Wall who has now made a fortune for himself in the NBA, $47.8m to be exact, was one of the best players under Calipari despite only staying with the Wildcats for one season. Wall averaged 16.6 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 4.3 RPG during his sole college year.

Dubbed "Optimus Dime," John Wall has played over 647 NBA games, averaging 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.9 assists while shooting 43.0%.

Also Read: Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky injury report and predictions, March 6: Latest on Colin Smith, Lee Dort and more

John Wall's history under HC John Calipari

The 2010-11 All-Rookie player became an instant favorite when he performed his signature dance at Big Blue Madness. The 2009 Kentucky team went on to win the SEC regular season as well as the SEC tournament.

However, the Wildcats were stopped in their tracks by West Virginia, crushing their National championship aspirations and a chance to face off against eventual winners Duke.

Speaking on the events that took place during the 2009 March Madness run, Wall admitted a matchup against Duke, and winning the tournament against their fierce rivals was the ultimate prize for the Wildcats.

"We wanted to play Duke so bad.. We wanted them so bad that we did't really gameplan the way we should have for that team (West Virginia)," Wall explained.

Wall was selected first in the 2010 draft by the Washington Wizards, where he spent the majority of his career. While he has not played a single game since the 2021-22 season, he is now hosting his podcast.

Who do you think will be the next big player under John Calipari?