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
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) 2× NBA Sportsmanship Award (2017, 2017) 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 May 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He is currently a player enhancement coach for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

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

High School Basketball Star

Walker went to Rice High School in Harlem, New York City. During his junior year, he played a game at Madison Square Garden. In his senior year, he averaged 18.2 points and 5.3 assists per game. This earned him a spot on the famous McDonald's All-American Team.

He also played for the New York City Gauchos, a top youth basketball program. His team finished as the number one team in the nation. Experts like Rivals.com saw Walker as a top player. They ranked him as the 5th best point guard in the country in 2008.

College Career at UConn

Freshman Year Success

As a freshman 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. He scored 23 points in the Elite Eight game against Missouri.

Sophomore Year Growth

In the 2009–2010 season, Walker started all 34 games for the Huskies. He averaged 14.6 points per game. He was named to the First Team All-District by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Connecticut made it to the 2010 National Invitation Tournament. However, they lost and finished the season with an 18–16 record.

Junior Year: National Champion

Walker with Connecticut in 2011

Walker became very famous in his third year at Connecticut. He was the leading scorer in the nation early in the season, averaging 26.7 points per game. He also averaged 5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He 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 helped the Huskies 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 MVP. He scored an amazing 130 points in five games in five days. UConn became the first school to win five games in five days and claim a conference championship.

On March 14, 2011, Walker was named First Team All-American. He was also a finalist for the college player of the year award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy. He won the Bob Cousy Award as 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 the final game and won the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award.

Professional Basketball Career

Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2011–2019)

Rookie Season and Early Years

Walker shoots during a game against the Houston Rockets, October 2013

Walker was picked ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2011 NBA draft. He signed a shoe deal with Under Armour. He became the starting point guard for the Bobcats in his first season. He played in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend.

In November 2012, Walker made his first game-winning shot in the NBA. In January 2013, he scored a career-high 35 points. He also played in the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge again. He improved a lot in his second year, averaging 17.7 points and 5.8 assists.

First Playoff Appearance and Key Moments

Walker defended by Gerald Wallace in 2013

In December 2013, Walker hit another buzzer-beating shot to win a game. In February 2014, he had a career-high 16 assists. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. In April 2014, he got his second career triple-double (scoring double digits in points, assists, and rebounds).

The Bobcats made the playoffs in 2014. Walker had a great game four against the Miami Heat, scoring 29 points. However, the Heat won the series.

Knee Surgery and Scoring Records

Walker with the Hornets in October 2014

In October 2014, the team was renamed the Charlotte Hornets. Walker led a big comeback win in their first game. He signed a four-year contract extension. In December 2014, he scored a career-high 42 points. He also set a team record for most points in a half with 35.

In January 2015, Walker scored 30-plus points in three games in a row. This made him one of only four Hornets players to do so. He had surgery on his left knee in January 2015 and missed 18 games.

Breakthrough Season and All-Star Selection

In November 2015, Walker scored 39 points. In January 2016, he set a career-high and franchise record with 52 points in a double overtime win. He broke the team record of 48 points. He became only the third Hornets player to make 500 career three-pointers. The Hornets made the playoffs as the sixth seed. Walker scored a playoff career-high 34 points in Game 4 against the Miami Heat. He then scored 37 points in Game 6.

In May 2016, Walker had another surgery on his left knee.

In November 2016, Walker scored 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists against the Toronto Raptors. In December, he reached 7,000 points with the Hornets, becoming the fourth player in team history to do so. In January 2017, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for the first time. He moved into third place in team history for field goals made and career scoring.

Franchise Scoring Leader

In December 2017, Walker became the first player in Hornets history with 200 career 20-point games. In January 2018, he reached 9,000 career points. He also broke the franchise record for career three-pointers, passing Dell Curry. In February, he was named an All-Star for the second year in a row. In March, he scored 46 points with 10 three-pointers, helping the Hornets win by a huge margin. On March 28, he passed Dell Curry to become the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

Final Season with Hornets

In October 2018, Walker scored 41 points, a franchise record for a season opener. He tied Glen Rice for the most 40-point games in team history. He also passed 10,000 career points. He set an NBA record for most three-pointers in the first three games of a season with 19. In November, he scored a career-high and franchise-best 60 points. In December, he made his 502nd career start, the most in team history.

In January 2019, Walker was named an All-Star starter for the first time. He became the third Hornets player to start an All-Star Game. In April, he set the franchise record for most 30-point games in a season. He also set the record for most three-pointers made in a season. He joined Glen Rice as the only Hornets players to score 2,000 points in a season. After the season, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team, a major honor.

Boston Celtics (2019–2021)

In July 2019, Walker joined the Boston Celtics. He chose to wear number 8. In his Celtics debut in October 2019, he scored 12 points. In November, he scored a season-high 39 points. In December, he scored 44 points. In January 2020, he had 40 points and 11 assists. He also got his first win against LeBron James. Three days later, he was named an All-Star starter for the fourth time.

The 2019–2020 season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it restarted, Walker helped the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals. However, they lost to the Miami Heat. Walker missed some games due to knee soreness. In December 2020, he had a procedure on his left knee. He returned to play in January 2021. In the 2021 playoffs, he missed games due to a bone bruise in his left knee. The Celtics lost in the first round.

New York Knicks (2021–2022)

In June 2021, Walker was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He then agreed to leave the Thunder in August 2021. On August 11, he signed with his hometown team, the New York Knicks. In October, he made his Knicks debut. In November, he was taken out of the Knicks' regular rotation. He returned in December after another player got injured. On December 23, he scored a season-high 44 points. On Christmas Day, he recorded a triple-double. He became the seventh player in NBA history to do so on Christmas.

Walker missed games in January 2022 due to 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)

In July 2022, Walker was traded to the Detroit Pistons. In October, he left the Pistons. In November 2022, Walker signed with the Dallas Mavericks. In December, he scored a season-high 32 points. In January 2023, Walker was released by the Mavericks.

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 outside the United States. He played 26 games in the EuroLeague, averaging 4.4 points. On July 2, 2024, Walker announced he was retiring from playing professional basketball.

Coaching Career

Charlotte Hornets (2024–Present)

On July 3, 2024, Walker was hired by the Charlotte Hornets. He joined the team's staff as a player enhancement coach.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

NBA Play-in

NBA Playoffs

EuroLeague

College

Awards and Honors

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)

Personal Life

Walker in a press conference at Middlesex Chamber of Commerce breakfast

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

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

Walker is also a dancer. He performed three times at the 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.

Walker signed a sponsorship deal with Under Armour in 2011. In 2015, he signed 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