After being known for his insane clutch gene in college all the way to being an All-Star, Kemba Walker has finally retired from the game. There were a lot of things that he was known for like his stint with the Charlotte Hornets. However, he also played an instrumental part in the development of the Boston Celtics' lethal duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. So, it was just fitting that the NBA Championships gave their former veteran some love.
A lot of love for Kemba Walker
“I’m done playing. It was a hell of a run. 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,” were the last words that Kemba Walker declared before quitting the pursuit of basketball.
Understandably, everyone in the NBA world was shocked by the decision. He still had some juice to give but was just not getting any more opportunities in the league. The 34-year-old's last stint was with the Dallas Mavericks. He played nine games with them before finding himself overseas. Nonetheless, Brown and Tatum showed some love for him, via Excel Sports.
Joe Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Grant Williams all had nice farewell videos for Kemba Walker. “It was an honor and a privilege to be your teammate. From a kid that literally grew up and watched you in the NCAA Tournament,” said Tatum. (🎥 @excelsm)
While this was an unfortunate end to his career, his impact cannot be understated. He helped the Celtics become who they are at the moment. With his ball-handling and playmaking acumen, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum learned to be better all-around players. After all, he did play two seasons with the Celtics before moving on to suit up for the New York Knicks.
Even when he departed, he still impacted the Celtics. It was his trade that brought then Oklahoma City Thunder veteran Al Horford back to the Celtics back in 2021. Beantown then got their old leader back along with Moses Brown, and a 2023 second-round pick. The NBA Draft selection in 2023 was then used to acquire Jordan Walsh. He ended up helping the main Celtics roster and the G League squad in Maine.
Banner 18 had Walker's prints written all over it. Unfortunately, he needed to be traded to reach the ultimate goal.
His stint with the Celtics
His run under Brad Stevens was arguably the last great stretch of his career. In two seasons, he managed to average 19.9 points a game while knocking down 42.3% of his shots from all three levels of the field. Moreover, he was also able to drop four assists a night to help the Celtics play winning basketball. Unfortunately, he was not able to experience playing with an intense TD Garden roaring his name because those two seasons happened during the pandemic.
Walker was not only impactful on offense with the Celtics. He was also a great backcourt partner for Marcus Smart. A big evidence of this was the fact that he averaged a steal per game with the now Memphis Grizzlies guard. His all-around work was more than appreciated by this team.
It was a long career that had to end at some point. The Celtics faithful just need to be thankful that they were part of this insane run by a legendary player.
