Five-time NBA All-Star and former top overall draft pick John Wall is returning to the Washington.

ESPN reported on Thursday that Wall has become the president of basketball operations at Howard, based in D.C. and a top-ranked HBCU program.

Wall played the first nine seasons of his NBA career with Washington after being selected by the Wizards with the top overall pick of the 2010 draft out of Kentucky. He averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 573 career games (561 starts) with Washington.

Wall, 35, served as Howard’s honorary captain for the team’s game against Norfolk State on Jan. 31. Per ESPN, he reportedly expressed to the school of having an interest in serving as president of basketball operations at the NBA level one day.

Wall will work alongside Howard coach Kenny Blakeney and team general manager Daniel Marks in his new role.

Wall, who did not play in 2019-20, was involved in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2020, that saw Russell Westbrook sent to Washington. The Wizards sent Wall and a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Rockets for Westbrook and a lottery-protected first-round pick in the same 2023 draft.

Wall played one season in Houston (2020-21), sat out the 2021-22 season with an injury and came back to compete in 34 games with the Clippers in 2022-23. He officially retired from the NBA on Aug. 19, 2025.

–Field Level Media

UConn and Duke are finalizing plans to clash on Nov. 25 — Thanksgiving Eve — at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, CBS Sports reported on Wednesday.

It would be a rematch of last month’s Elite Eight showdown in Washington, D.C., where the Huskies knocked out the Blue Devils in a 73-72 thriller.

Freshman Braylon Mullins’ desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left lifted No. 2 seed UConn over top-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament East Region on March 29. The Huskies went on to lose to Michigan, 69-63, in the national championship game.

Duke leads the all-time series between the perennial powerhouses 6-5, including the Huskies’ 77-74 victory in the 1999 NCAA Tournament title game in St. Petersburg, Fla.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger agreed to a 10-year contract extension on Wednesday that will pay him $6 million annually. He is now under contract until June 30, 2036.

Otzelberger guided the Cyclones to their third Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament over the past five seasons in 2025-26. Iowa State finished with a 29-8 record, tying for the second-most wins in program history.

“Coach Otzelberger has elevated our men’s basketball program into a perennial NCAA Tournament and Top 25 team. This contract extension demonstrates Iowa State University’s commitment to him by making him one of the highest paid basketball coaches in the country,” athletic director Jamie Pollard said. “We are excited to reward him for the success we have enjoyed during his first five years leading the Cyclones and we look forward to continued success under his leadership.”

Iowa State has earned five straight NCAA Tournament bids under Otzelberger, who was hired in March 2021 after the program went 2-22 in 2020-21. The Cyclones are 124-53 overall in five seasons with Otzelberger at the helm.

“I’m thankful for the support of our President, Dr. (David) Cook and our athletics director, Jamie Pollard,” Otzelberger said. “We are humbled and grateful to continue leading a program that means so much to us. Iowa State is home for my family, and we are excited to be part of the community for years to come.”

Otzelberger, 48, is 223-116 in 10 seasons with South Dakota State (2016-19), UNLV (2019-21) and Iowa State. He also took South Dakota State to the NCAA Tournament on two occasions (2017, 2018).

–Field Level Media