Kemba Walker enters Spectrum Center for the first time as a visiting player Thursday night when the Boston Celtics take on his former Charlotte Hornets team.
It serves to be an emotional night for Walker, who became Charlotte’s all-time leading scorer during his eight seasons with the Hornets, but it seems that could be the case for some of his former teammates as well. Current Hornets players spoke to The Athletic’s Roderick Boone about playing alongside Walker, and they all raved about his humility.
Here’s a few snippets of the testaments from Walker’s former teammates:
Devonte Graham:
“I would just say he’s one of the realest guys that I know,” Graham told Boone. “A lot of guys get to this level, get that fame and all-star mentality, and they treat people differently. But K, man, from day one, I remember as soon as I got drafted, he sent me a text. ‘I’ve been watching you in college. I’m excited to play with you, can’t wait for you to get up here.’ It’s just like that. He treated us like his little brothers. He invited us to the house every time. Any time we went out to dinner, he would pay for it. He let me drive his cars, stuff like that that a lot of people wouldn’t do.”
Cody Zeller:
“What I love about Kemba, what people don’t see — obviously, they see how good he is on the court — but how much he does in the community, how much he loves Charlotte as a city,” Zeller said. “Even now, although he’s playing in Boston, he’s very connected with what’s going on here in Charlotte. So I think that’s my favorite thing. What people don’t see behind closed doors is the kind of person that he is. He’s just a quality person. He’s done a lot for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters here in town, and he’s done a lot for the community.”
Miles Bridges:
“I was surprised because as soon as I got drafted, he was the first one to text me: ‘Welcome to the team, and come to my house when you get to Charlotte,’” Bridges said. “He just treated me like family, so I felt comfortable coming right in and just being around him at all times.”
The quotes go on and on, and we highly recommend reading Boone’s full article to read each and every one.
We’re sure Celtics players could attest, as it’s only been good news coming from TD Garden and the Auerbach Center since Walker arrived in Boston.
The Hornets and Celtics are set to tip-off from Spectrum Center at 8 p.m. ET.
