Veteran NBA guard Kemba Walker announced today (via Instagram) that he has decided to retire as a professional basketball player.
“I want to start this by thanking God for everything he has given me. Basketball has done more for me than I could’ve ever imagined, and I am super thankful for the amazing journey I’ve had,” Walker said in his announcement. “With that, I’m here to share that I am officially retiring from the game of basketball. 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,” he added. “I’m excited for what’s next.”
The ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft, Walker became the Hornets‘ full-time starting point guard in his second NBA season and maintained that role through the 2018/19 campaign, earning three All-Star berths and averaging 19.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game across 605 total regular season games during his time in Charlotte.
Walker left the Hornets for the Celtics during the 2019 offseason and made another All-Star game during his first year in Boston. However, knee issues slowed him down well before the expiration of his four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Celtics. He was traded during the 2021 offseason to the Thunder, who bought him out.
Walker subsequently appeared in 37 games with his hometown Knicks in 2021/22 and nine contests with the Mavericks in ’22/23 before playing for AS Monaco in the EuroLeague in his final professional season in ’23/24.
Walker still holds numerous franchise records in Charlotte. He’s the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with over 12,000 points and has more made three-pointers (1,283) than any other player in team history.
The 34-year-old also won an NCAA title with UConn in 2011 and made an All-NBA third team during his last year as a Hornet in 2019.