Ex-Celtic Kemba Walker Holds No Resentment Toward Mavericks

It’s been over two months since the last time former Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker suited up for an NBA team, but the former All-Star harbors no hard feelings.

Walker, 32, last took the floor alongside Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. That stint lasted only nine games before Dallas departed from the undersized guard, just to upgrade and acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets weeks later before the NBA trade deadline. This could understandably turn any former franchise guard-turned-journeyman bitter.

However, that isn’t the case for Walker.

“They said they wanted to go young. That was it,” Walker said, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “They wanted to go young, which I respect. I was happy that I got the opportunity to get out there, be in Dallas, get the chance to play with Luka and watch him up close and personal. After playing with (Jayson Tatum), I’ve played with two of the best young players in the game right now. So that was a pretty cool experience.”

With Dallas, Walker averaged a career-low eight points while getting just 6.3 shot attempts on the floor, making for a massive role decrease from what the UConn product was accustomed to during his prime years in the league.

“It was dope with Luka, man,” Walker said, according to Weiss. “I was at a different point in my career, so I don’t got to handle the ball as much. So it was cool to appreciate the work that he put in, to see some of that stuff up close and personal was crazy.”

Before being plagued by career-setback injuries in recent years, Walker was the face of the Charlotte Hornets, finishing his time there as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer before signing with the Celtics in 2019.

Walker was in attendance for Saturday night’s Celtics game in Atlanta against the Hawks, cheering on his former Boston teammates while sitting behind their bench at State Farm Arena.