After an impressive 12-year NBA career, it’s time for a farewell. The 34-year-old has finally said goodbye to the league. Kemba Walker didn’t play in the NBA this past season, as he played for EuroLeague with AS Monaco. After his retirement announcement, he looked back at the start of his NBA journey which turned out unexpected as he recalled his “pep talk” from one of the greats.
Back in 2011, Kemba Walker was welcomed to the men’s basketball league by the Charlotte Hornets which is owned by Michael Jordan. “My moment was with him (Michael Jordan) when this is my second year in the league…I’m young, but we got a couple of older guys. I don’t wanna step on nobody’s toes so I’m kind of deferring a little bit so I guess he kind of realized it,” Walker said, via the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast.
After noticing this, ‘His Airness’ called Walker in his office, and told him that he wasn’t drafted by the Hornets as the 9th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft to defer or be passive. Jordan made it clear that he wanted Walker’s gameplay to be aggressive. Once Walker was drafted, he faced tough competition from Jonas Valanciunas, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson.
To further boost Walker’s motivation, Jordan did exactly what was needed. Further, Walker said, “Be the way you are. I want you to be aggressive. I want you to play like how you play at UConn,” emphasizing what Jordan had said to him in a closed-door conversation. Walker had led the Connecticut Huskies to their third national championship win. So according to Walker, Jordan gave him “the key.” What happened next was truly amazing!
After – effects of Michael Jordan’s mentorship
Unlike other notable collegiate stars, Walker did not immediately make his presence felt on the NBA court. He took his time to improve and then became the face of the franchise.
The Hornets failed to offer the contract the All-Star guard expected them to extend. And the Boston Celtics took over this apt opportunity and signed Walker. Walker, in return, turned out to be extremely fruitful for the Celtics. He was not only a good scorer but also offered the team leadership and stability at a time when the Celtics were already suffering from a disastrous 2018-19 season.
Moving on, Walker has finally put a full stop to his 750 career games with the Hornets, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks. During this illustrious career, he averaged 19.3 points per game, proving that the NBA world has surely bid adieu to a legend. What do you think? Comment down below!