Promising NBA journeyman Kemba Walker recently announced his retirement from the league after 12 seasons. Walker spent last season in the Euroleague for AS Monaco ostensibly trying to claw his way back to the NBA, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. Read on to find out what happened to the once promising player.
Walker played with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets from 2011-2019, the Boston Celtics from 2019-2021, the New York Knicks from 2021-2022 and the Dallas Mavericks from 2022-2023. His retirement came as a surprise, but closely following the decision to hang up his sneakers, Walker announced his intent to join the Charlotte Hornets coaching staff as a “player enhancement coach.”
Why did Kemba Walker retire from the NBA?
Walker released a statement about the decision to become a player enhancement coach, saying that “basketball has done more for” him than he could “ever imagine” and that he’s “super thankful for the amazing journey.”
“This has all been a dream. When I look back, I still can’t believe the things I achieved in my career. … Basketball will forever be a part of my life so this isn’t goodbye. I’m excited for what’s next.”
Walker was one of those rare high-caliber picks from the Hornets that actually worked out. He was an All-Star three times and took the team to the playoffs twice, though they never won a playoff game with him in their midst.
In college at the University of Connecticut, Walker took the team all the way to the 2011 NCAA championship with one of the most prolific runs during March Madness of all time. During his junior year, Walker was the leading scorer in all of the NCAA.
When he was on the Celtics, he played 29 minutes at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game on a knee injury, causing it to swell up. While he finished that game with 23 points and three assists, it was so swollen he had to have it drained, which kept him on the injured list for three weeks.
He was never the same after that. He was traded to the Knicks and then signed to the Dallas Mavericks with a 10-day-contract, his last official stint in the NBA as a player. Even the Mavericks knew there was little hope he would make his way back to prime form.
In Dec. of 2022, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison went on talk radio and spoke fairly candidly about Walker’s knee.
“It’s not good,” Harrison said. “It’s not good at all. But he’s rehabbed it and it’s the best he’s felt in the last two years so, we’ll see how long that lasts.” Harrison also admitted that Walker’s knee “hasn’t been good for a few years.”
“Even last year, he had 30 point games on it. But it actually feels better now. The reality is, if you look at it, it’s not good, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play on it.”
While that was true, Walker couldn’t compete at the level he needed to. He then signed with the Euro League to get things going again, but unfortunately that just never happened. Thankfully he still has a future in basketball ahead of him, it just looks a little different than it did before.