Kemba Walker stepped away from basketball, retiring after a 12-year NBA career on Tuesday, and 24 hours later the ex-UConn standout accepted a coaching position to return to the sidelines.
The Charlotte Hornets, who finalized their 2024-25 coaching staff, welcomed Walker back and hired the 34-year-old as the team’s player enhancement coach. Walker was originally drafted by the organization ninth over in the 2011 NBA Draft, spent eight seasons with Charlotte, and finished as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 12,009 points.
Walker will work under a staff led by first-year head coach Charles Lee, who served as the top assistant for the Boston Celtics this past season.
MORE NBA
Meanwhile, Walker spent the final season of his professional playing career overseas with AS Monaco, winning the French League championship. He made four All-Star appearances in the NBA, and finished with a career scoring average of 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 750 games.
Story continues below advertisement
“It was a hell of a run,” Walker said on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. “It was a run that I still can’t fathom today. I still can’t believe the things I’ve done in my basketball career, especially with all the doubt that I got coming in.”
The Hornets went 21-61 last season — the third-worst finish in the Eastern Conference — earning the organization the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft, which Charlotte used to select Tidjane Salaun.
It’s been 22 years since the last time the Hornets won a playoff series.
Story continues below advertisement
Featured image via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
