It's possible that I could be wrong, it's possible that John Wall is not holding up the gang sign known as "bk" or "blood killer". Maybe it's the angle that I'm looking at it from, the timing of the picture being taken or possibly even a different hand gesture that the Kentucky Wildcats used when they scored. Highly unlikely, but it's all possible that this is anything but John Wall throwing up a gang sign.
I also wanted to include this picture of John Wall throwing up three's. This one is what started to confuse me. The top picture of the "bk" sign is one that a crip or a folk would throw up in order to disrespect rival gang members, whereas this picture to the left is a symbol of three fingers up, commonly used in Boston as a sign of hometown pride and also a "b" up, supporting the blood gang. Now I don't know too much about it, but I do know that you don't jump back and forth between blood and crip, that will get someone hurt very badly or even killed. It's possible that Wall simply made a three pointer before this picture was taken, it's possible that he's not a gang member, but it's not going to be acceptable for John Wall to be able to flash gang signs while Paul Pierce was fined for throwing up three's in appropriate situations (after making a three pointer).
Although Pierce was said to be a gang member when he first arrived in Boston, leading up to his stabbing that happened is his first days in Boston, there are multiple players in the NBA with gang involvement. This not only gives a wrong message to the young fans watching, but could put themselves and others in dangerous situations. Don't get me started on Ron Artest and his shout out to Queensbridge on National Television during the Finals. This also upsets me again that it was such a huge story and a fine was passed down to Paul Pierce, again for throwing three's in an appropriate situation yet other players in the NBA blatantly show gang involvement with no consequences.
Gang Members In The NBA
There is a picture from Hardwood Paroxysm, of Chicago Bulls Guard Derrick Rose throwing "Gangster Disciples" signs at what looks like a house filled with smoke. There was another article from August 2009 that included Paul Pierce, Derrick Rose, JR Smith, Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson flashing gang signs (or not). There were also some issues surrounding JR Smith's Twitter account where some of Smith's tweets were perceived as gang related.
Look at the situation that John Wall is coming into. Gilbert Arenas was suspended for pulling a gun on his teammate in the locker room last season. Here's a brief conversation between Bill Simmons and Tony Kornheiser the other night on ESPN's NBA free agent summit:
Simmons: Plan B is terrible for them, but plan F is worse: Gilbert Arenas.
Tony Kornheiser: See, I've got a horse in that race, because now I no longer live in New York, I live in Washington D.C, and Gilbert Arenas will be poisonous for John Wall. So the Wizards must push him somewhere.
Just imagine what would go on in the locker room and in D.C. if Arenas and Wall were spending as much time together as teammates do. Then think of which one of them would kill the other first over a fifteen dollar dispute. Oh, by the way, look at what else I found:
Thanks to Michael K. Robinson of MKRob's Sports Blog for permission to use the pictures of John Wall.
Artest shouting out to queensbridge isnt a gang, its where he is from. I dont think that artest was shouting to any gang, he is just a mentally unstable guy that loves his hood.
Right, his hood, meaning his gang. The man stated that seeing someone getting stabbed on a basketball court during a game for calling a foul wasn’t abnormal for him. Ron Artest was definitely gang involved.
I think you’re just reading too much into this… are any of the players really affecting YOU in any way by their actions or are you just that envious that you must hate on a young black getting money?
A hood isn’t a gang u dick it’s short for neighborhood that’s like saying if dirk shouted out germany hes a nazi stop being ignorant there are gang members everywhere yes but every player that does something with there fingers is not in one & acknowledging your community you grew up in doesn’t make ua gang member & how does seeing someone get stabbed or being used to seeing crime make you gang affiliated I swear you’re a real rocket scientist for that buddy
you sound dumb…
how do you know Ron Artest was “definitely” involved..?
John Wall may be a gang member… but this does not confirm it… this gestuer is a 3… in which 75% of players display after scoring a 3pt basket… though it closekt resembles the sighn that the bloods gang uses… its not it.. sorry nice try
Meh, I’d say that for most players throwing up gang symbols is less “repping the gang” and more trying to cultivate an image of toughness. I’m sure there’s a few former (and even current) gang members in the league but it’s a lot more rare than you think.
Well then I’d ask you what you base your opinion on Adam and look forward to hearing more about what makes you think that way.
Well, it’s a gut feeling just like you associating their hand signals with gangs. There’s no concrete proof on either side.
Mainly though, I don’t see why you’d associate with a gang if you’re that rich. What’s the point?
first off the first picture of john throwing up the three fingers is what people do after they make a 3 pointer made famous by jose calderon and is very popular among different athletes such as lebron, carmello, jr smith, kobe.etc
Corey, you started by saying first off and then made one point about players doing it after making three pointers, which I also pointed out in the article.
Yes, players do that after they make three’s, also, it is a gang sign, it can be both, which is why there were explanations for both and multiple pictures/videos of Wall. Don’t fool yourself.
Yeah corey, don’t leave us hanging.
I do agree with corey though that the evidence isn’t conclusive. It could be a gang sign or it could just be a three pointer sign. Don’t see enough on either side to draw a final verdict.
John Wall is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a collegiate organization for men. That is their sign. All black greek organizations have hand gestures to acknowledge their memberships in these COLLEGIATE organizations. This is NOT a gang sign.
Paul Pierce is also a member of this fraternity. I don’t see any gangs signs in any of the photos presented. Many individuals have signs that represent where they are from. Hence the westside sign, ATL sign, etc. Most of the time these signs are not gang related.
Retracting Paul Pierce statement. I don’t think he is a member. But to note Lebron and Kobe have thrown up this sign. This sign however does represent KAY (Kappa Alpha Psi).
KC,
I always appreciate being corrected when I’m wrong. I do however fail to believe that all of the signs being held up by these three men have to do with fraternities. I believe that for John Wall it very well may be possible, he’s young and new and wasn’t stabbed seven times once he landed in Washington as their first overall draft pick. However, Pierce and Derrick Rose make it hard to believe otherwise.
I was referring to Wall being apart of the fraternity. He is a member. But Pierce, I retracted. Pierce is not a member. Not sure about Derrick and Rose hand signs. The signs that they are ‘throwing up’ are not related to any fraternity, but I suggested perhaps the signs are neighborhood related. That’s all.
He didnt throw up BK( or blood killer ) if you look closely he threw up UK( University of Kentucky)
Derrick Rose is probably guilty of smoking pot, but if you pay attention to his friend standing behind him, he’s flashing a the sign of a rival Chicago gang and smiling too… If they were really members of those gangs, they would have killed each other on the spot, considering how bad Chicago is with gangs. Not sure how long it’s been for you since you were 18-20, but I sure as hell have witnessed several people jokingly throw up gang signs while intoxicated in my college days.
I’m pretty sure that John Wall is not a member of Kappa Alpha Psi so do not bring this fraternity into play to justify his actions. If you’re a member of the Kappa Tau Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, and can confirm that he is a member I will stand corrected.
DId anyone catch the Wizards highlights from last night? Wall was throwing signs after he scored the winning basket. Stupid if you ax me.
Hmmmm…all of a sudden people are no longer doubting what I stated about John Wall being a gang member after flashing his signs beating the Celtics at the buzzer. I guess now that the worldwide leader says its true, then it has to be.
Hoosier Daddy – I don’t want to ax u , I’d go to prison
John Wall is my favorite Basketball player and i dont think these are gang signs.
John Wall’s Not A Banger.. You Just Saw A Young Black Athlete Who Has Some Fingers Up & Some Fingers Down & You Call It Gang Related..
Just want to go back to one of the first posts…
your “hood” is not your gang in any way shape or form. It’s short for neighborhood. Just like calling someone your “bro”. Doesn’t mean you’re in a gang.
@Josh…If you think hood equals gang it just goes to show how little you know on the matter. Perhaps you need to retake that “black101″ course you seem to get your most of your facts from.
Actually, in Boston, Hoods are the names of the gangs. For example, “H-Block”, “Lucerne St.”, “Academy”, etc. Also, gangs don’t necessarily always correlate to your “black 101″ classes, that just sounds racist. Please refrain from trying to put people down about knowing their facts when you may just simply have a different perspective.
@Josh…If you think hood equals gang it just goes to show how little you know on the matter. Perhaps you need to retake that “black101″ course you seem to get most of your facts from.*****corrected
That is not Blood Killer that is the total opposite. John Wall is blood that sign is blood and so is the five point star he threw up afterwards.
I can’t see the initial picture that was posted that shows what looks like the “bk” sign, but I can see the picture of wall throwing up threes. Also, in the video, he moved so fast I couldn’t catch much of it, but if you say he threw up a five point star, then obviously you saw it. The intention of this was not to pinpoint what gang he belonged to, but simply to identify that he was gang involved. I appreciate all feedback from everyone on this topic and love that you all take the time to express your opinions on it. Please keep it coming.
I been around gangs all my life…. The signs John Wall is flashing definitely look like Crip hand signs. He threw up the “C” and “BK”. And I believe he also threw up the 2 backward “BK’s”, which is the 5pt Star. Thats all I could make out. I dnt know if his Frat shares the same signs but doubt it. Rose was definitely throwing up the GD pitchforks. But I think he was jus messing around. And I see alot of players throw up that “b” / 3pt sign… there are players who use it to rep a blood gang (maybe not members but jus showing love). But the other players do it cause they see the 1s who are reppin doin it.
You could be right but if you know about gangs and what looks like BK to you could and looks more like 360 which is used for GD’s and is put up the same way
He Not throwing up bk its a E for east side that’s my cousin im brandon pulley his mom francish pulley alot of people where we from are bloods south east raleigh my cousin dont bang blood but alot of our family members do free my cousin BG as long as he dont bother any body who gives a f*** the boy can ball and bk dont look nothing like that homie and what the hell is sorry to curse but 2 backwards bks lol eastside bloods bang 5 point star homie im from south side raleigh haywood street bragg street I BEEN ROUND GANGS All my life homie do they bother any body are they out here shootin leave them alone they motivate us to be positive cuz they made it went from south raleigh to the pro check the murder rate danm near impossible
@ josh reppin yo hood don’t make u a gang member it just mean that you are proud of where u from. There are gangs in the hood but not everyone from te hood are gang memebers. That’s like saying someone is in a gang because they say shout out to New York or Cali
For those of you who continue to leave these ignorant comments about racism, jealousy and hatred, please take the time to actually read the full article as well as the comments to see that this has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with the observation that John Wall has flashed gang signs on multiple occasions. Its not a judgement of his character nor is it a shot at him personally. The man portrayed gang involvement, made it noticeable and has never claimed otherwise, made apologies for doing so or been fined in the open spotlight for doing so. Please know what you are going to say and what the facts are before you try to attack peoples opinions.
Yeah he would be in the folk nation so 74 or GD and a lot of people are saying it is just him calling out to his hood or your reading to much into are wrong I see a lot of this from where I am from
GROWING UP IN SOUTH CENTRAL LA.I KNOW THE PRESSURE A KID GOES THOUGH,HERE HOW IT GOES.THREE OF US HANG OUT TOGETHER,ONES PLAYS BALL,ONE IS A CRIP.AND THE THIRD IS A STRAIGHT A STUDENT.SO THE THREE OF YOU ARE WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL.AND THE BLOODS ARE COMING TO GET YOUR CRIP FRIEND.NOW DO YOU LEAVE HIM OR FIGHT WITH HIM? AFTER Y’ALL HELP FIGHT WITH YO BOY.THE OTHER TWO ARE LABELED AS CRIPS NOW.THESE NBA PLAYERS GROW UP IN HARDEN NEIGHBORHOODS SO THE AFFILIATION IS THERE,ITS THERE ROOTS.SO BEANING A OG CRIP ITS NOT A SURPRISE GANGBANGERS ARE PROFESSIONALS, HELL YOU GOT THE KKK IN POLITICS.
It is amazing to me how stupid white people are about black culture. But they will offer their opinions and promptly put their feet into their mouths. I am a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. Our fraternity has had many outstanding athletes/citizens. Once you read this list you will know that how foolish you are to try to convince people that these guys are trying to be gang members when, in reality, they are trying to associate themselves with elite black men. Arthur Ashe, Mike Tomlin, Gale Sayers, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Penny Hardaway, Alex English, Nnamdi Asomugha, Kevin Eubanks(tonight show), Johnnie Cochran, Ed Bradley (60 minutes) ..some gang huh? By the way, it is common that people lie and say they are members of us and other black greek letter fraternities. Almost all great black men in USA are members of one the black fraternities. Before writing crap you know nothing about, at least go on wikipedia and look things up.
All this is very very ignorant in the sports world majority of the time when u throw ya fingers in the air it doesn’t even have a meaning its just something to do,,,,I’ve been guilty of throwing my fingers in the air without it having a meaning behind it ……..but so what if some of these guys are members or former members of a gang..they ain’t hurtin none of yall. ..plus im pretty sure that they have no time to be involved with gang relations…..I hate when people try to sit round and look for any lil bullshit to start up..just cause a black man throws his fingers in the air does mean he is in a gang just cause a black man reps where he from does mean dat he is in a gang >y’all need to grow and josh its looks to that all u are doing is hattin and sayin a lot of dumb ignorant shit when u get proof dat these guys are in gangs then u can speak on things
They are EVERYWHERE! I got more proof for you. Gangs are infiltrating everything. I mean every president since I was little has been throwing the BK gang symbol like crazy.
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01207/Barack_Obama_at_1207188cl-8.jpg
http://lastdaywatchers.com/wp-content/uploads/aokbey2.jpg
http://laurafday.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/a-ok_clinton.jpg
This article has racism wrote all over it. You are an absolute idiot.
It’s A Known Fact That Derrick Rose Is A GD.
i think u guys should look at the referees hand signal when somebody shoots a three ..its the same thing .. quick to slander a young black guy. if it was zydrunas illgauskas making a three and he did it im guessing he would be a russian blood member right smfh u guys are nuts…
Yea, dude who wrote this sounds dumb as hell. One, Queensbridge aint a gang, its da damn neighborhood Artest from. Two, players do that after hitting a three. So what, that a sign bloods use. Its also a fraternity sign and the sign of saying “ok” too. I aint know a hand sign could only have one meaning you idiot. I didnt hear you say anything about Dirk Nowitzki hand sign in the finals after hittin a three. Im from Chicago, and thats a VICE LORD handsign he threw up. So am I gonna assume Dirk in a gang? C’mon dude, you a damn idiot. You quick to shout what a brother doin. Worry bout yo damn self. Hell, maybe i should write about all those white sheet wearin people yall got in congress. I got a hand sign for you, a middle finger.
Thats not a bK symbol he’s holding up its just a B. Wall is from Raleigh, NC which is a blood populated city. I really dont know his ties to the gang but when he makes a shot or a good play he stacks(a variety of gangs signs)and he uses signs that an ordinary person wouldn’t know
So I am, for the last time hopefully, yet again taking time to explain to everyone to understand that this has absolutely nothing to do with the color of anyone’s skin and everything to do with the fact that John Wall threw up gang signs on multiple occasions.
Get a life
who cares. gang members can’t play ball and go to college? Maybe they aren’t just the street dope boys everyone thinks they are.. Gang member in college? playin ball? sounds like thats a good thing.. Better to be on the court than out on the corner shootin and robbin someone..
Josh games….u keep avoiding this particulr point that I’ve seen two people make……”Hood ” is short for neighborhood . So what if Dirk said”I want to give a shoutout to Germany”.. would that be gang realated……or if he shouted out a city or neighborhood in Germany. Would u think he was gang related. I’ve seen white players throw up 3s…funny u didn’t mention any of them
John Wall did not throw up no gang 5ign5 dats not da bk 5ign 5o y yall 5tarting 5hit white Boy5 throw up da same 5ign5