Kemba Walker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kemba Walker

Walker with the Charlotte Hornets in 2019
Charlotte Hornets
Player enhancement coach
Personal information
Born	(1990-05-08) May 8, 1990 (age 35) The Bronx, New York, U.S.
High school	Rice (Manhattan, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
College	UConn (2008–2011)
NBA Draft	2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Charlotte Bobcats
Pro career	2011–2024
Coaching career	2024–present
League	NBA
Career history
As player:
2011–2019	Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets
2019–2021	Boston Celtics
2021–2022	New York Knicks
2022–2023	Dallas Mavericks
2023–2024	AS Monaco
As coach:
2024–present	Charlotte Hornets (player enhancement)
Career highlights and awards
As player: 4× NBA All-Star (2017–2020) All-NBA Third Team (2019) NCAA champion (2011) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2011) Consensus First-team All-American (2011) Lute Olson Award (2011) Bob Cousy Award (2011) First-team All-Big East (2011) Third-team All-Big East (2010) Big East tournament MVP (2011) Second-team Parade All-American (2008) McDonald's All-American (2008)
Career NBA statistics
Points	14,486 (19.3 ppg)
Rebounds	2,831 (3.8 rpg)
Assists	3,938 (5.3 apg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States FIBA Americas U-18 Championship Silver 2008 Formosa Team

Kemba Hudley Walker, born on May 8, 1990, is an American basketball coach and a former professional player. He is currently a player enhancement coach for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Kemba was chosen ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2011 NBA draft. He also played for famous teams like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks. He finished his playing career with AS Monaco. Before turning pro, he played college basketball for the Connecticut Huskies. In the 2010–11 season, Kemba was one of the best college players. He led his team to win the 2011 NCAA championship and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Kemba is a four-time NBA All-Star. He also won the NBA Sportsmanship Award twice.

Kemba's High School Basketball Journey

Walker went to Rice High School in Harlem, New York City. During his junior year, he played a game at Madison Square Garden. His team won a close game against Simeon Career Academy.

In his senior year, Kemba scored 18.2 points and had 5.3 assists per game. This great performance earned him a spot on the famous McDonald's All-American Team. He also played for the elite New York City Gauchos, a top youth basketball program. His team finished as the number one team in the nation. Experts at Rivals.com rated Walker as a five-star recruit. They listed him as the 5th best point guard and the 14th best player in the country in 2008.

Kemba's College Basketball Career

Freshman Year at UConn

During his first year at the University of Connecticut, Walker played in every game. He was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team. He helped the Huskies get a top seed in the 2009 NCAA tournament. Even though he only started two games, he played a lot of minutes. He helped the Huskies reach the 2009 Final Four by scoring 23 points in a key game against Missouri.

Sophomore Year at UConn

In the 2009–2010 season, Walker started all 34 games for the Huskies. He averaged 14.6 points per game. He was the team's top scorer in many games that season. The U.S. Basketball Writers Association named him to the First Team All-District. Connecticut played in the 2010 National Invitation Tournament but did not win.

Junior Year and National Championship

Walker with Connecticut in 2011

Walker became very famous in his third year at Connecticut. He was one of the top scorers in the country, averaging 26.7 points per game. He also averaged 5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. His picture even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.

In the 2011 Big East tournament, Walker made a game-winning shot at the buzzer. This shot helped UConn beat the Pittsburgh Panthers and move to the semifinals. Walker then led UConn to win the Big East Championship against the Louisville Cardinals. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Over five games in five days, Walker scored an amazing 130 points. This was a record for any conference tournament in 15 years. UConn became the first school to win five games in five days and claim a conference championship.

On March 14, 2011, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association named Walker a First Team All-American. He was also a finalist for the college player of the year award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Many journalists believed Walker deserved to be named the best player that year. He also won the Bob Cousy Award for the nation's best college point guard. On April 4, 2011, Walker led the University of Connecticut to win the Division I Championship. He scored 16 points in that game and won the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award. After the team returned, Walker was added to the Huskies of Honor. This is a special award for great UConn players.

Kemba's Professional Basketball Career

Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2011–2019)

Rookie Season (2011–12)

Walker finished college in three years and entered the 2011 NBA draft. The Charlotte Bobcats picked him ninth overall. He signed a shoe deal with Under Armour. On December 11, 2011, he signed his first contract with the Bobcats. He became their starting point guard because of an injury to another player. Walker played in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend. However, the Charlotte Bobcats had a tough season, winning only 7 games.

Sophomore Season (2012–13)

On November 14, 2012, Walker made his first game-winning shot in the NBA against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He scored 22 points in that game. On January 21, 2013, he scored a career-high 35 points against the Houston Rockets. Walker was also chosen for the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge again. He improved a lot from his rookie year. He finished the season averaging 17.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game.

First Playoff Appearance (2013–14)

Walker defended by Gerald Wallace in 2013

On December 18, 2013, Walker made a shot at the buzzer in overtime to beat the Toronto Raptors. He scored 26 points that night. On February 19, 2014, Walker had 23 points and a career-high 16 assists against the Detroit Pistons. He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. On April 4, 2014, Walker achieved his second career triple-double. He had 13 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds against the Orlando Magic.

In the playoffs, the Bobcats played against the Miami Heat. Walker had an amazing game four, scoring a playoff career-high 29 points. However, the Heat won the series in four games.

Knee Surgery and Comeback (2014–15)

Walker with the Hornets in October 2014

In the Charlotte Hornets' first game of the season, Walker led a big comeback. They were down by 24 points but won in overtime. Walker made a three-pointer to force overtime and then the winning shot. He signed a four-year contract extension with the Hornets. On December 5, 2014, Walker made his second game-winning shot of the season. On December 27, he scored a career-high 42 points against the Orlando Magic. He also set a team record for most points in a half with 35.

In January 2015, Walker scored over 30 points in three straight games. This made him one of only four Hornets players to do so. He also made his fifth career game-winning shot. He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. On January 28, 2015, Walker had surgery on his left knee. He missed 18 games but returned on March 11.

Breakthrough Season (2015–16)

On November 23, 2015, Walker scored 39 points in an overtime win. On January 18, 2016, Walker set a new career-high and franchise record with 52 points. This happened in a double overtime win against the Utah Jazz. He broke the team record of 48 points set by Glen Rice. On March 9, Walker became only the third Hornets player to make 500 career three-pointers. He won his fourth career Player of the Week award. The Hornets finished the season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, they faced the Miami Heat. Walker scored a playoff career-high 34 points in Game 4. He then scored 37 points in Game 6. The Hornets lost the series in seven games. In May 2016, Walker had another surgery on his left knee.

First All-Star Selection (2016–17)

Walker in 2016

On November 4, 2016, Walker scored 30 points, helping Charlotte start the season well. On November 11, he had 40 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. On December 29, Walker scored his 7,000th point with the Charlotte franchise. He became the fourth player in team history to reach this milestone. On January 26, 2017, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve. This was his first All-Star selection. On January 31, he moved into third place on the team's career scoring list. On March 6, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. On March 31, he scored 31 points and became the second player in team history to reach 8,000 career points. In May 2017, Walker had another procedure on his left knee.

Second Sportsmanship Award (2017–18)

On December 4, Walker scored 29 points and made all 14 of his free throws. He became the first player in team history with 200 career 20-point games. On January 10, 2018, he scored 41 points. On January 15, he reached 9,000 career points. On January 24, Walker became only the second Hornets player with 900 career three-pointers. On January 31, he set a franchise record with nine three-pointers and scored 38 points. On February 4, Walker broke the franchise record for career three-pointers with 930. On February 8, he was named an All-Star again, replacing an injured player. On March 22, Walker scored 46 points with 10 three-pointers. This was his ninth 40-point game. On March 28, he scored 21 points and passed Dell Curry to become the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

All-NBA Selection (2018–19)

On October 17, 2018, Walker scored 41 points in the season opener. This set a franchise record for points in an opening game. It was his 10th 40-point game, tying Glen Rice for the team record. Three days later, he scored 39 points, including the game-winning free throw. During this game, he passed the 10,000-point mark in his career. Walker set an NBA record for most three-pointers in the first three games of a season with 19. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. On November 17, he scored a career-high and franchise-best 60 points. On December 5, Walker made his 502nd career start for Charlotte. This was the most of any player in team history.

On January 24, Walker was named a starter for the Eastern Conference in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. He joined Glen Rice as the only Hornets players to be in three All-Star Games. On February 9, he made nine three-pointers and scored 37 points. On April 3, Walker had his 26th 30-point game of the season. This broke Glen Rice's franchise record. He also set the franchise record for three-pointers made in a season with 244. On April 5, he scored 29 points, joining Glen Rice as the only players in franchise history to score 2,000 points in a season. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week again. After the season, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. This was his first time being selected for an all-league team.

Boston Celtics (2019–2021)

After leaving the Hornets, Walker joined the Boston Celtics on July 6, 2019. He signed a four-year contract worth $141 million. Walker chose to wear Kobe Bryant’s number 8 with the Celtics. His usual number 15 was retired by the Celtics in honor of Tom Heinsohn.

Walker played his first game for the Celtics on October 23, 2019. On November 22, Walker had a neck injury after bumping into a teammate. He was taken off the court on a stretcher. He was later diagnosed with a sprained neck. On November 27, Walker scored 39 points. On December 11, he scored 44 points. On January 16, 2020, Walker had 40 points and 11 assists.

On January 20, Walker got his first win against LeBron James. He helped the Celtics win big against the Lakers. Three days later, Walker was named a starter for his fourth straight All-Star Game. The 2019–2020 season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it started again, Walker helped the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to the Miami Heat. Walker missed some games that season due to knee soreness.

In December 2020, the Celtics said Walker had a special injection in his left knee. He was on a 12-week program to make his knee stronger. Walker played his first game of the 2020–21 season on January 17, 2021. In the 2021 playoffs, Walker missed some games because of a bone bruise in his left knee. The Celtics lost their playoff series in five games.

New York Knicks (2021–2022)

On June 18, 2021, Walker was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He then reached an agreement to leave the Thunder on August 6, 2021.

On August 11, he signed a two-year contract with the New York Knicks. This was his hometown team. On October 20, Walker played his first game for the Knicks. On November 29, 2021, Walker was taken out of the Knicks' regular playing rotation. He sat out for 10 games. He returned on December 18 after another guard was injured. On December 23, Walker scored a season-high 44 points. On December 25, Walker had a triple-double in a win against the Atlanta Hawks. He became the seventh player in NBA history to get a triple-double on Christmas Day.

Walker missed games in January 2022 because of knee problems. In February 2022, the Knicks and Walker agreed that he would not play for the rest of the season.

Dallas Mavericks (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Walker was traded to the Detroit Pistons. On October 17, Walker reached an agreement to leave the Pistons.

On November 28, 2022, Walker signed with the Dallas Mavericks. On December 17, Walker scored a season-high 32 points. On January 6, 2023, the Mavericks released Walker from their team.

AS Monaco (2023–2024)

On July 21, 2023, Walker signed with LNB Pro A and EuroLeague club AS Monaco. This was his first time playing basketball outside the United States. On October 18, Walker played his first game for Monaco. He played in 26 EuroLeague games that season. On July 2, 2024, Walker announced that he was retiring from professional basketball.

Kemba's Coaching Career

Charlotte Hornets (2024–Present)

On July 3, 2024, Walker was hired by the Charlotte Hornets. He joined their staff as a player enhancement coach. This means he helps players improve their skills.

Kemba's Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague

College

Awards and Honors

• Bronx Walk of Fame (2025)

Basketball Achievements

NBA

• 4× NBA All-Star (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
• All-NBA Third Team (2018)
• 2× NBA Sportsmanship Award (2016, 2017)

College

• NCAA champion (2011)
• Bob Cousy Award (2011)
• Lute Olson Award (2011)
• NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2011)
• Consensus first team All-American (2011)
• Big East tournament MVP (2011)
• NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team (2011)
• Maui Invitational tournament MVP (2011)
• All-Big East First Team (2011)
• All-Big East Third Team (2010)
• All-Big East All-Rookie Team (2009)

EuroLeague

• LNB Élite Champion (French Championships 2023–24)

Kemba's Personal Life

Walker in a press conference at Middlesex Chamber of Commerce breakfast

Kemba Walker is the son of Paul and Andrea Walker. His parents met in his father's home country of Antigua. His mother is from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and grew up in the Bronx. He has two brothers, Akil and Keya, and two sisters, Sharifa and Kayla.

Walker grew up in the Sack-Wern Houses in Soundview, Bronx. Kemba is also a dancer. He performed three times at the famous Apollo Theater for the TV show Showtime at the Apollo.

In 2011, Walker released a music mixtape with DJ Skee. The mixtape featured songs that inspired him. In 2011, Walker signed a deal with Under Armour. In 2015, he signed a new deal with Jordan Brand, which is part of Nike.

See also

In Spanish: Kemba Walker para niños

• List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association single-game scoring leaders