“Be happy about the balloons” – DeMarcus Cousins hilariously ruined John Wall’s long-awaited NBA return party originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Suffering a devastating injury and trying to return from it can be a harrowing time in an NBA player’s life. This was especially true for former All-Star guard John Wall, who didn’t get to play for two years due to a heel injury and, later, a ruptured Achilles tendon.
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However, the day of his return to the basketball court eventually came in December 2020. Not long after he was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Houston Rockets, the explosive guard was giddy with excitement at the chance to do what he loved most: hoop.
But just when John’s enthusiasm was at an all-time high, he was suddenly brought back down to earth as he was imposed with a league-mandated seven-day quarantine due to “health and safety protocols,” thereby delaying his much-awaited return.
DeMarcus Cousins, Wall’s former college teammate at Kentucky and later in Houston, revealed that the incident figuratively deflated Wall’s excitement. A celebration organized by Wall’s loved ones to mark his NBA return was abruptly cut short.
A party pooper
In an interview on the “Run Your Race” podcast, DeMarcus told host Theo Pinson that he and John lived in the same condominium complex, with the latter residing a floor above him. As the anticipation built for his first game, which came against the Portland Trail Blazers, Wall’s team prepared a celebration to commemorate his return.
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“I remember going up to his condo like the day of the game. And at this time, COVID was around. So, you know, it was really, really sensitive. You did this, you know, you couldn’t play,” Cousins recalled. “So John was super excited about his first game back. They had this whole little setup in the house with balloons and s—t.”
However, as Wall was getting ready to go to shootaround, he was abruptly told to get off the court and quarantine for seven days. Apparently, a teammate tested positive for the virus, which meant John had to get tested and get cleared to play. Safe to say, he didn’t take the news lightly.
Related: Dwyane Wade explains why the Heat didn’t pull the trigger on Kevin Durant: “This is what the Heat do; they are not turning their chips until they feel like they got a winner”
Wall was pissed
It wasn’t just Wall who was asked to quarantine because of that incident; so were Cousins and fellow Rockets Eric Gordon and Mason Jones. However, with DeMarcus living nearby, he took the chance to rib his good friend about it.
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“So they had this whole little setup. I remember walking into his condo and, you know, John sitting on his couch. He’s pissed,” Boogie shared, laughing. “So he’s just sitting there, he’s sad as f—k. Nobody in there. He got all these goddamn balloons and s—t.”
“And I remember walking in, I’m like, ‘Damn dog.’ I’m like, ‘Man, 11B I know you mad as a MFer, bro. Hey, this s—t cool and s—t.’ He like, ‘Bro, get the f—k out, man. Like I ain’t trying to hear this s—t.’ I’m like, ‘Why you mad at me, bro?’ I said, ‘These some nice ass balloons and s—t, though. Like man, hey, hey, be happy about the balloons,” DeMarcus continued narrating.
Wall eventually got to play for the Rockets, returning with a bang, registering 22 points and nine assists in a 122-119 win over the Sacramento Kings. A few days later, he proved that his performance was no fluke, as he tallied 28 points in yet another win against the Kings. John’s time in Houston, though, was short-lived, as he played in only 40 games and was waived by the team in June 2022.
Related: Adam Silver plans to use Artificial Intelligence after the NBA’s injury surge: “Ingest all video of every game a player’s played in to see if we can detect some pattern”
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
