The best player ever to grace a Charlotte Hornets uniform just announced his retirement from basketball. During an appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & The Kid Mero, Kemba Walker revealed that he’s lacing up his basketball sneakers.
The Hornets drafted Walker with the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and they landed a guy who would be the face of their franchise for the better part of a decade.
Walker spent the first eight seasons of his career in Charlotte, leading them to the playoffs twice and helping them overcome the worst season in franchise history, which happened when the Bobcats went 7-59 in the 2011-12 season.
Watch Hornets legend Kemba Walker announce his retirement
“I thank God for blessing me and my family with the opportunity to play basketball."
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) July 2, 2024
Kemba Walker announces his retirement in an exclusive convo with Melo and Mero on 7PM in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/VzOy2CvtqQ
While with the Hornets, Walker made three All-Star teams and one All-NBA Third Team. He also finished second in Most Improved Player voting in the 2016-17 season.
Walker won 245 games in a Hornets jersey, which is the third-most of all-time. Dell Curry has the most with 318, and Muggsy Bogues is in second at 276.
In his eight seasons with the Hornets, Walker averaged 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 41.8% from the field and 35.7% from behind the three-point line.
During his retirement announcement, which Walker chose to make on Anthony’s podcast, he showed love to some of his former coaches, including Carl Nickerson, his junior high school coach, Mo Hicks, his high school coach at Rice, and Jim Calhoun, who coached him at UConn, which Walker called his dream school.
The point guard also thanked God and his family for getting him to where he is today and, at the end of the interview, revealed that he still lives in Charlotte.
Walker’s time in Charlotte was incredible, as he gained the love of the entire fanbase. As noted at the top, Walker is the best player in Hornets history, and while he wasn’t able to lead them to any deep playoff runs, that wasn’t necessarily his fault.
His impact on the league will be missed, and it seems a given that the Hornets will retire his jersey. No one should wear No. 15 again.