Kemba Walker was one of the best point guards of the 2010s decade and despite spending most of his career with the worst team ever, he gathered many awards and honors for his solid gameplay. He is a four-time All-Star and huge triple-double threat. Sometimes it seemed he was the only player in the Charlotte Hornets because he dominated the game so much and often provided high scores back-to-back. The way the team functioned was based on Walker’s talent but like many players, he had a range of medical problems. Now, Walker tries to rebuild what he has lost.
Kemba Walker – Early Life
Kemba Hudley Walker was born on May 8, 1990, in the Bronx, New York. He was playing high school basketball for Rice High School in Harlem. As a junior, he participated in Madison Square Garden against future NBA stars, Simeon Career Academy and Derrick Rose. As a senior, he averaged 18.2 points per game ppg points and 5.3 assists per game, which secured his spot on McDonald’s All-American Team. He played for the prestigious AAU basketball program team, New York City Gauchos with other players who were drafted for the NBA. Gauchos finished first in the US. In 2008, Kemba Walker was considered a five-star recruit, the 14th player, and the 5th point guard in the nation.
When did Kemba Walker go to college?
Kemba Walker enrolled in the University of Connecticut, where he played for the Huskies. His team managed to go to the 2009 NCAA Tournament as a first seed, where they advanced to the Final Four. It was thanks to Walker’s input, as he scored 23 points in the Elite Eight against Missouri. Walker started only two games but averaged 25.5 minutes of playing time. He was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team.
As a sophomore, Walker started in all 34 games of the 2009-10 season, leading the team in scoring eight times. The Huskies got to the 2010 NCAA’s National Invitation Tournament but were beaten by Virginia Tech.
Walker’s junior year was the time he was truly noticed. He averaged 26.7 points per his first 12 games, which was the best score in the US, additionally posting five rebounds and over three assists per game. He was recognized nationwide, as he appeared on a regional cover of Sports Illustrated. He became a true college basketball star.
He helped his team to advance to the semifinals 2011 Big East Tournament, by shooting a winning buzzer-beater, against the Pittsburg Panthers. Huskies went on to become Big East Champions, and Walker was named MVP of the competition, as he posted 130 points in only five games. Connecticut was the first school to win five games in five days in conference history.
His outstanding performances made him the finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Association’s college player of the year honors. He finished second, but this decision was controversial as many thought that Walker is worthy of this award. He managed to win the Bob Cousy Award, as the best point guard in the US. It was certainly well-deserved, as he led the Huskies to win the Division I Championship. In addition, he was named NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player and was added to the Huskies of Honor, as the first male player since December of 2006.
Kemba Walker – Charlotte Bobcats
What is surprising, is that Walker actually graduated from college and just then entered the 2011 NBA Draft, where he was picked 9th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. From the beginning, he was noticed by big companies, such as Under Armour, with whom he signed a shoe deal.
With the Charlotte Bobcats, Walker signed a rookie scale contract and was put into the starting lineup from the start, as his teammate DJ Augustin was injured. On January 28, 2012, Walker posted his first career triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, becoming one of three Bobcats who managed to do so. In 2012, he was chosen to participate in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge held during All-Star Weekend.
Kemba Walker – Rising Stars Challenge
The 2012-13 season was successful for Walker, for the Bobcats not as much. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1 steal per game. On November 14, 2012, he shot his first NBA game-winning basket. He was selected to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge once again.
Next season was another step in the evolution of Walker. On December 9, 2013, he posted 31 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors, over a week later on December 8, he performed a magnificent jump shot in overtime to beat the Toronto Raptors. For his achievements, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. On April 4, 2014, Walker made his second career triple-double, scoring 13 points, posting 10 assists and 10 rebounds. The Charlotte Bobcats made it to the Eastern Conference Playoffs where Walker posted a playoff franchise record with 29 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. The Charlotte Bobcats were swept by the Miami Heat in four games.
Kemba Walker – Charlotte Hornets
In 2014, the team changed its name to the Charlotte Hornets and offered Kemba Walker a four-year contract extension, which he signed. It was clear that Walker was already a star of the team, as he hit three game-winners (making his career total five) in the 2014-15 season. He posted a then career-high 42 points, with 35 points in the second half, establishing the franchise record. Sadly, Walker missed 18 games, from the beginning of January to March.
The 2015-16 season was rising to stardom for a great player in a mediocre team. On January 18, 2016, Walker scored career-high 52 points, also establishing a franchise record for the regular season. In March he earned his fourth Player of the Week award, which wasn’t surprising because Walker was the sole reason that the Charlotte Hornets made the playoffs this year. They managed to prolong their defeat, going to 7 games against the Miami Heat.
Kemba Walker – All-Star Recognition
With 22 points against the Miami Heat on December 29, 2016, Walker became the franchise’s 7,000th scorer when he sank a three-pointer with 4:16 left in the first quarter. On December 31, 2016, Walker scored 37 points, which marked his 31st game with 30+ points. He was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve team on January 26, 2017.
On March 31, 2017, he scored a team-high 31 points in a victory over the Denver Nuggets. During the game, Walker became the second player in team history to amass 8,000 career points; the only other individual to do so was Dell Curry (9,839).
For the next season, Walker became the only player in franchise history to have over 200 20-point games and the second player to have over 900 career 3-pointers (another one being Dell Curry). On February 4, he broke Curry’s record with his 930 three-pointers. He replaced injured Kristaps Porzingis in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, making his second consecutive appearance.
Kemba Walker – Breaking Records
On March 22, he posted a 46-point performance with 10 3-pointers in a 140–79 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. It was his ninth 40-point game as he helped the Hornets break their franchise record for largest win in NBA history. On March 28, he scored 21 points in a 118–105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, breaking Dell Curry’s (9,839) record. He also set a new career-high with his 44th consecutive successful free throw, breaking Gerald Wallace’s team record of 1,998.
On October 17, 2018, Walker broke another record, scoring over 40 points in a tenth game. On October 20, he surpassed 10,000 overall career points. He was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team starting lineup. It was evident that Kemba Walker was a true star power on the team, thus the following events are a little bit unthinkable.
Kemba Walker – Boston Celtics
Kemba Walker entered free agency, as the Charlotte Bobcats refused to pay him his maximum possible salary. He felt underappreciated and signed with the Celtics, although the Celtics offered him even less money.
On October 23, 2019, he made his Boston Celtics debut against the Philadelphia 76ers where he scored 12 points while having 18 attempts from the field. He quickly regained his pace, and on November 27, helped the Celtics win over the Brooklyn Nets, with 39 points. He posted season-high on December 11, in a 44-point effort against the Indiana Pacers.
On January 20, Kemba Walker finally had his revenge on LeBron James, as he posted 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and a steal in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The performance earned him his fourth consecutive spot in an All-Star Game.
Unfortunately, the season was cut short for Kemba, as he had to receive stem cell injections for his injured left knee and had to sit out the remaining games of the 2020-21 season for rest purposes. The Celtics decided to trade Walker.
Kemba Walker – New York Knicks
For the 2021-22 season, Walker was traded to Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was waived by them in August. He signed with the New York Knicks and he was supposed to be a part of New York’s starting lineup. With the Knicks, he was averaging career lows and didn’t give a very efficient performance. Coach Tom Thibodeau was set on removing Kemba Walker from the Knicks’ rotation.
Does Kemba Walker have an NCAA championship?
Walker’s skills helped to lead his team to a victory in the 2011 NCAA championships.
