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Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker Scores Seven Points in First All-Star Appearance

By Jerry Stephens

Feb 19, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) dunks the ball against Eastern Conference guard Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets (15) in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Gerald Herbert/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) dunks the ball against Eastern Conference guard Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets (15) in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Gerald Herbert/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports /
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With all eyes focused on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Charlotte Hornets’ fans were paying close attention to Kemba Walker.

In the NBA’s 66th All-Star Game, Kemba Walker represented the Charlotte Hornets as he made his first ever appearance. He only scored seven points to go along with six assists and three rebounds in only 20 minutes of action. The point guard went 3-6 from the field and 1-4 from three as his Eastern Conference team lost to the West, 192-182.

Kemba was Charlotte’s first all-star since Gerald Wallace in the 2009-10 season and the franchise’s seventh overall. He joins a number of Hornets’ greats such as Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Glen Rice, Eddie Jones and Baron Davis. This appearance helps cement not only his rise in the NBA as a player but also for the Hornets as a part of the team’s history.

The game was headlined by KD and Westbrook who were going to play on the same team for the first time since Durant left OKC in the offseason. That ended up being uneventful as the two passed the ball to each other and even connected on an alley-oop. While everyone was focused on them, Buzz City was looking forward to seeing their star point guard get some run in the prestigious event.

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There wasn’t a lot of defense being played which is typical of this exhibition game but there were a few fun dunks, shots and passes from the best players in the league. This was exemplified by Anthony Davis‘ performance as he scored 52 points. The New Orleans Pelicans‘ big man took home the MVP award in front of his home crowd. Although, Westbrook wasn’t far behind as he scored 41 points.

Despite having the game moved from Charlotte to New Orleans over the summer, the people of the Queen City could at least celebrate and take solace in the fact that Walker made the game. It might not have been the biggest scoring night for Kemba but he at least didn’t embarrass himself on the national stage in his first ever All-Star Game. He took in the full All-Star Weekend experience this year by also competing in the Three-Point Shootout where he finished third.

Walker wasn’t expected to get a lot of minutes as a reserve and even more so because of how much he plays for the Hornets on a nightly basis. Steve Clifford and the organization probably would’ve liked to see him play fewer minutes. The best part of the night is that the fans were entertained and none of the players got injured.

Kemba looked like a regular out there with the rest of the All-Stars. He might not have had his regular scoring outburst but he did have some good moments.

Next: Wallace Delighted With Walker

Hopefully, the Charlotte Hornets will get a chance to host the 2019 All-Star Game or at least one in the near future. Kemba Walker made the most of his first All-Star appearance as he shot a few three’s, made his first shot attempt and threw a few lobs.

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