After playing 12 seasons of professional basketball and receiving numerous accolades along the way, Kemba Walker has opted to call it quits at the age of 34. In a heartfelt social media post, Walker mentioned that “I want to start this by thanking God for everything he has given me. Basketball has done more for me than I could’ve ever imagined, and I am super thankful for the amazing journey that I’ve had. With that, I’m here to share that I am officially retiring from the game of basketball. This has all been a dream. When I look back, I still can’t believe the things I achieved in my career. I know I couldn’t have made it to this point without my incredible support system around me. There are so many people to thank- my mom, dad and entire family, my teammates who have become family, and the coaches who believed in me and brought out the best in me. Basketball will forever be a part of my life so this isn’t goodbye. I’m excited for what’s next.”
As it turns out, Kemba was spot on about his future in basketball as a retiree, as he will now serve as a player enhancement coach for the Charlotte Hornets’ organization. Walker was a member of the Hornets for the first eight years of his NBA career, appearing in three All-Star games, winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2011-12 and taking home the Most Improved player award twice in a four-year span (2012-13, 2015-16). After completing his final season in Charlotte in 2018-19, Walker spent two years in Boston, one year in New York, one year in Dallas and one year in Monaco (suited up for AS Monaco in the Euroleague and LNB Pro A in 2022-23) before exploring post-retirement opportunities.
Walker dealt with significant knee issues toward the end of his playing days, but when the 6-foot guard was fully healthy, he had a legitimate case for being a tier 1-2 point guard in the NBA. For his career, Walker averaged 19.3 points on 41.8 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from three in addition to dishing out 5.3 assists per contest. At the collegiate level, Walker helped the UConn Huskies capture the 2011 national title while being named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. He also created a jaw-dropping highlight in the Big East Tournament that surely would have reached “viral” status in the modern age of technology/social media. With under 10 seconds remaining in a tie ball game against Pittsburgh in the quarterfinal round (74-74), Walker executed a beautiful, exaggerated step back move that sent Pittsburgh center, Gary McGhee, to the deck in embarrassing fashion (he was briefly on all fours). Walker proceeded to not only drill the game-winning mid-range jumper, but also lead the Huskies to Big East tournament semifinal and championship victories prior to the start of the big dance.
All in all, Walker had a solid career and should celebrate the fact that he enjoyed a successful prime in the most competitive basketball league in the world.
