Kemba Walker

At 33 years old, Kemba Walker has this physical status:

Kemba Hudley Walker (born May 8, 1990) is an American basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

In the 2011 NBA draft, Walker was ranked ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats.

He grew up in The Bronx, New York.

He began playing basketball for the Connecticut Huskies after graduating from Rice High School in 2008.

Walker was the country's second-leading scorer in college basketball and was named consensus First Team All-American in 2010; he also led the Huskies to the 2011 NCAA championship and received the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award.

He is a three-time NBA All-Star.

Personal life

Walker is Paul and Andrea Walker's son. His parents met in Antigua, St. Croix, the United States Virgin Islands, although his mother was raised in the Bronx. Akil and Keya, as well as two sisters named Sharifa and Kayla, are his brothers.

Walker grew up in the Sack-Wern Houses in Soundview, Bronx.

Walker is also a dancer. At the Apollo Theater for the TV show Showtime at the Apollo, he appeared three times.

Walker unveiled a mixtape in collaboration with DJ Skee and Skee Sports on June 21, 2011. The mixtape features songs that were inspired by and inspiring Walker.

Walker signed a multi-year sponsorship contract with Under Armour in 2011. Walker's deal with Under Armour came to an end in 2015. He later signed with Jordan Brand, a Nike affiliate.

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High school career

Walker attended Rice High School in Harlem, New York City. Walker appeared in a 53–51 victory over Simeon Career Academy and senior guard Derrick Rose in Madison Square Garden during his junior year. He averaged 18.2 points and 5.3 assists per game in his senior season, earning him a spot on the coveted McDonald's All-American Team. He was able to participate in the best AAU basketball program for youth in New York City Gauchos, and was joined by fellow Big East Conference talent-to-be Jordan Theodore, Darryl Bryant, Devin Hill, and Danny Jennings. Walker's team came in No. 1st place. This year, the country's number one is the world's #1 one.

Walker, who was considered by Rivals.com as the No. 1 for a five-star recruit, had been named as the No. 1 in the United States. The No. 1 and the 5 point guard stand as guards and the No. In 2008, the country's top 14 players.

College career

Walker was active in every sport and was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team in his freshman year at the University of Connecticut. In the 2009 NCAA tournament, he helped the Huskies earn a top-one seed. Despite starting in only two games, he averaged 25.5 minutes per game, much more than any other non-starter. He also helped the Huskies advance to the 2009 Final Four with a 23-point effort against Missouri in the Elite Eight.

Walker played in all 34 of their games and averaged 14.6 points in the Huskies' 2009–2010 season. With 18 points at Virginia Tech, he led the team in scoring for the eighth time in the team's last nine games. Walker was selected by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to the First Team All-District. Connecticut claimed to be a 4-seed in the NCAA's 2010 National Invitation Tournament, but they fell short of Virginia Tech and finished the disappointing season going 18–11) in conference play.

In his third year at Connecticut, Walker rose to national prominence. He distinguished himself as the best scorer in the country early in his junior season by posting 26.7 points per game; in addition, Walker averaged 5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. It was then that he appeared on one of the six regional covers of Sports Illustrated magazine.

Walker defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers, who were ranked No. 1 in the 2011 Big East tournament, after making the game-clinching shot at the buzzer. Overall, the Huskies defeated the Huskies in the semifinals, with three of them placing in third place. Walker led UConn to victory over the Louisville Cardinals in the ensuing Big East Championship, earning tournament MVP honors in the process. Walker scored a record of 130 points in as many days as a Big East player, but not necessarily for any conference tournament in the last 15 years. UConn also became the first school to win five games in a five-day period and earn the conference championship.

Walker First Team All-American was selected by the United States Basketball Writers Association on March 14, 2011 with only Fox Sports selecting him to the Second Team. In addition, his stellar results in the 2010–11 season made him a finalist for the Association's college player of the year awards, the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Despite finishing second to Jimmer Fredette for this award, at least one writer believed it was actually Walker who deserved the accolade of Best Player of the Year. Walker received the Bob Cousy Award for college basketball's top point guard in the country, according to other awards given to him. Walker, who scored 16 points himself, helped the University of Connecticut defeat the Division I Championship in April 4, 2011, while still recognizing the honor of Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA basketball tournament. Walker was welcomed to the Huskies of Honor upon the team's return from Houston at a pep rally to celebrate the National Championship. He became the first male basketball player to be honoured after the inaugural class was announced in December 2006.

Professional career

Walker graduated from UConn in three years. He was drafted ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2011 NBA draft, according to his reports. Walker, the first rookie from the 2011 draft class to do so, has signed a multi-year shoe contract with Under Armour.

He signed the rookie scale with the Bobcats on December 11, 2011, and the Bobcats' starting point guard D. J. Augustin's absence made him their starting point guard for the lockout-shortened season. Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson played for 20 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in their first triple-double against the Washington Wizards on January 28, 2012. During All-Star Weekend, Walker competed in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge.

Walker became the first game-winner of his NBA career against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 14, 2012. He finished the game with 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting, as well as 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. He scored a career-high 35 points against the Houston Rockets on January 21, 2013. Walker and teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were selected to the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge in which they both scored 8 points during the 2012–13 season.

Kemba finished the 2012-2013 season with an average of 16.7 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1 steal per contest. He made strides over his rookie year.

Walker defeated the Toronto Raptors on December 18, 2013 after a thrilling jump shot over Jonas Valanas in overtime. On 10/18 shooting from the field, he had 26 points and 5 rebounds on the night. In a 116-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons on February 19, 2014, Walker had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week five days after, with averaged 22.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in the span of seven days. Walker earned his second triple-double in a home victory over the Orlando Magic on April 4, 2014, with 13 points, 10 assists, and ten rebounds.

Walker had a spectacular game four against the Miami Heat, with teammate Al Jefferson unable to participate due to a Plantar fasciitis injury. The Heat gave the Bobcats a four-game sweep.

Walker was instrumental in the renamed Charlotte Hornets' opening game against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 29, where he made a dramatic comeback in an overtime 108–106 win. By the fourth quarter, the Hornets had come back; Walker had a three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to force overtime, but they later scored the ball, which clinched the game. He had 26 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. He signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Hornets the following day. In a 103-102 victory over the New York Knicks on December 5, 2014, Walker scored his second game-winner of the season. He scored a career-high 42 points and set a Charlotte Hornets franchise record for most points scored in a half on December 27, the Orlando Magic's loss to the Orlando Magic. Walker scored 30 points against Kendall Gill for 10th place on the Charlotte Hornets all-time scoring list with 4,160 points on January 3, 2019. Walker won by 30, 33, and 31 points over three games against the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics, and the New Orleans Pelicans respectively, extending Larry Johnson, Glen Rice, and Kelly Tripucka as one of four players in Charlotte Hornets history to have three or more points in a row. In the 98–94 victory over the Pelicans, Walker won his fifth game-winner of his career and his third of the season. He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, January 5, through Sunday, January 11. During the week, he led the Hornets to a 4–0 record and averaged 50.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 36.2 minutes, while shooting.500 from the field (8–22) and.893 from the free-throw line (25–28).

Walker was out for six weeks after undergoing successful surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. The Hornets lost 106–113 to the Sacramento Kings on March 11, after missing 18 games and scoring six points in 16 minutes off the bench.

Walker scored a then-high 39 points in a 127-122 overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings on November 23, 2015. Walker defeated the Utah Jazz 124–119 on January 18, 2016 with a career high and a franchise record of 52 points. He made 16-of-34 from the field, including 6-of-11 three-pointers, and was 14-of-15 from the free throw line, a team record of 48 points set by Glen Rice in March 1997. Walker made his third Hornets player to make 500 career three-pointers on March 9, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans (929) and Glen Rice (508). He won his fourth career Player of the Week award and second of the 2015–16 season on Friday, becoming the sixth Charlotte player to win multiple awards in the same season. The Hornets were ranked sixth seed in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, with a 48–34 record. The Hornets defeated the third-seeded Miami Heat on April 25, and Walker scored a game-high 34 points, tying the series at 2–2. In Game 6 of the series, he surpassed that record, scoring 37 points in a 97-90 loss, as the Heat tied the series at 3-3. With a 4–3 loss, the Hornets went on to lose Game 7 in the playoffs, effectively ending the season.

Walker underwent surgery in May 2016 on a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Charlotte defeated the Brooklyn Nets 99–95, with Walker scoring a season-high 30 points on November 4, 2016, helping Charlotte advance to 4–1 for the first time since 2000. In a 113-111 loss to the Toronto Raptors, he tied for 40 points, ten rebounds, and six assists. Walker scored his 7,000th point with the Miami Heat on December 29, scoring a three-pointer with 4:16 left in the first quarter on December 29, putting him at his 7,000th point with the Charlotte franchise. In his 396th game with the Hornets, he became the fourth franchise player to reach that record and finished second-fast. In a 118–111 loss to the Chicago Bulls on January 2, 2017, Walker had 34 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. He was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game on January 26. Walker took third place in franchise history in field goals made (2,586) two days after losing to the Sacramento Kings two days earlier (also lost in a loss to the Sacramento Kings). He scored 22 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 31 and climbed to third place on the team's career scoring list. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, February 27 – March 5, on Monday, March 6, on March 6. In a 122–114 victory over the Denver Nuggets on March 31, 2017, he scored a game-high 31 points. Walker made history by winning 8,000 points in a season by defeating Dell Curry (9,839).

Walker underwent anarthroscopic surgery on his left knee in May 2017.

In a 104-94 win over the Orlando Magic, Walker scored 29 points and tied all 14 free throw attempts (tying a career high) for his first appearance in franchise history, becoming the first player in franchise history to win by 200 points in a row. In a 115-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on January 10, 2018, he had 41 points on 16-of-28 shooting. He scored 20 points in a 118-107 victory over the Detroit Pistons on January 15, bringing his total number to 9,000. Walker was the second Hornets' player with 900 career 3-pointers, joining Dell Curry (929), on January 24, in a 101-96 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. In a 123-110 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on January 31, he tied for the first time and career highs with nine 3-pointers and 38 points. Walker scored 18 points and broke the franchise's record for 3-pointers with 930, smashing Dell Curry's record of 929. Walker was named as the replacement for the injured Kristaps Porzio in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game on February 8, his second straight All-Star selection. In a 140-79 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 22, Walker scored 46 points with 10 3-pointers. As he helped the Hornets win their sixth-largest victory in NBA history, it was his ninth 40-point game of his career and third-highest scoring game of his career. In a 118-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he scored 21 points (including Dell Curry (9,839 points) to become the franchise's career scoring leader on March 28, surpassing him as the franchise's career scoring leader. Walker also set a new team record with his 44th straight made free throw. Gerald Wallace's franchise record of 1,998 was also reduced by his free throw, taking his total number to 1,999.

Walker scored 41 points in a 113–112 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on October 17, 2018, setting a franchise record for points scored in a season opener. It was his 10th 40-point game of his career, tying Glen Rice for the franchise record for 40-point games. The Hornets beat the Miami Heat 113–112 on three days later, with 39 points, including the game-winning free throw with a half-second left. He beat the career 10,000-point record during the game. Walker set the NBA record for most three-point field goals in the first three games of a season (1999–2010), making him the first NBA player to make five or more three-point field goals in each of the first three games of a season. He was subsequently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first week of the season. In a 122–119 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on November 17, he scored a career-high and franchise-best 60 points. Walker made his 502nd appearance for Charlotte on December 5, the most of any player in team history, defeating Muggsy Bogues (501).

Walker was named a starter for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game on January 24, replacing Glen Rice as the only Charlotte players to represent Charlotte in three All-Star Games. Walker, along with Larry Johnson (1993) and Eddie Jones (2000), became the third Hornets player to start an All-Star Game. In a 99-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, he had 30 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. In a 129-120 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, he hit a season-high nine 3-pointers and scored 37 points. On April 3, Walker recorded his 26th 30-point game of the season, beating Glen Rice for the franchise's highest point games in a season. When he made his 244th 3-pointer against New Orleans, he also set the franchise record for 3-pointers made in a season. In a 113–111 win over the Toronto Raptors on April 5, he scored 29 points, effectively ending Glen Rice as the only franchise players to score over 2,000 points in a season, with him scoring 2,115 points in the 1996–97 season. Walker was the ninth different NBA player to score on 250+ 3-pointers in a season, with his 250th made 3-pointer against the Detroit Pistons on April 7. He was later named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played April 1–7, his seventh in his career, marking his seventh week of the week award. Following the season, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team, his first all-league pick.

The Boston Celtics will begin with the loss of franchise staples Kyrie Irving and Al Horford to free agency, opening the door to begin a new chapter with a new max-salary player. Walker and the Celtics expressed mutual interest at the start of the free agency on July 6, 2019, despite a four-year contract with Charlotte worth $141 million. Walker wore number 8 with the Celtics because his old number 15 had been retired by the Celtics in honor of Tom Heinsohn.

Walker made his Celtics debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 23, 2019; he scored 12 points on 18 shot attempts from the field in 34 minutes of play during the 107-93 loss. In a 121–110 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on November 27, Walker scored a then-high 39 points on a then-season-high 39 points. In a 122-117 loss to the Indiana Pacers on December 11, Walker's season-high would be surpassed. In a 128-123 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 16, 2020, Walker would post a 40-point, 11 assist double-double.

After starting his career 0–28 against him on January 20, Walker defeated LeBron James in his first head-to-head victory over him. He helped the Celtics beat their longtime rivals the Lakers by 20 points, seven assists, four steals, and a steal. Walker was named in his fourth straight All-Star Game after being selected as an Eastern Conference starter three days later.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019-2020 season was postponed. Walker helped the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where the team was defeated by the Miami Heat after the season began. Walker missed several games during the season due to knee pain.

Walker had received a stem cell injection in his left knee in October and had been sidelined for the 2020 NBA season. Walker made his season debut on January 17, 2021.

Walker missed games four and five of Boston's first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets due to a bone bruise in his left knee. In five games, the Celtics lost the series.

Walker was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 18, 2021, along with a 2021 first-round draft pick (16th pick) and a 2025 second-round draft pick from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a 2023 second-round draft pick. Walker and the Thunder signed a labour buyout deal on August 6, 2021.

He signed with the New York Knicks on August 11, which was the first time he signed. In a 138–134 double overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on October 20, Walker made his Knicks debut, scoring ten points and eight assists. Walker was dropped from the Knicks' rotation on November 29, 2021, in favour of Alec Burks. After guard Derrick Rose was hospitalized, he sat for ten games before returning to the rotation on December 18. Walker finished with ten points, ten rebounds, and 12 assists in the Knicks' 101–87 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on December 25, becoming the seventh player in NBA history to record a triple-double in NBA's Christmas game.

In January 2022, Walker missed games due to knee pains. In February 2022, the Knicks and Walker reached an understanding that he would be out for the remainder of the season.

Walker and Jalen Duren's draft rights were exchanged by the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a future first-round pick on July 6, 2022. The Pistons waived Walker on October 17, the Pistons waived him from his service.

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