Four-Time All-Star Who Played For Celtics Announces Retirement

Kemba Walker is calling it a career.

Walker, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, announced his retirement in a post to his social media channels Tuesday afternoon.

“This has all been a dream,” Walker said in his statement. “When I look back, I still can’t believe the things I achieved in my career.”

Those achievements included four All-Star selections, one of which was earned the first of two seasons with the Celtics. Walker arrived in Boston via sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets in the summer of 2019, the same offseason the franchise lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. The talented point guard helped restore optimism in Boston, where the C’s reached the Eastern Conference finals in Walker’s first season with the team.

Of course, Walker’s ties to New England didn’t first form with his Celtics tenure. He was a standout at the University of Connecticut, where he guided the Huskies to a national championship in the last of his three seasons with the program. Walker won the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s best point guard, that season.

Walker left Boston in June 2021 when he was traded to Oklahoma City. The 34-year-old rounded out his NBA playing career with stops in his native New York and Dallas.