KEMBA Walker has announced his retirement from basketball – and already has a new job in the NBA.
The 34-year-old former Charlotte Hornets guard hung up his cleats on Tuesday after 13 seasons.
Walker was Charlotte’s 9th overall pick in the 2012 draft and is a two-time NBA Sportsmanship Award winner.
The 6-foot point guard spent last season playing in France for Monaco.
After announcing his retirement from the court, Walker is returning to the Hornets and the NBA.
He is taking on a coaching role with the new HC Charles Lee team, for Atlético.
Walker spent 8 years in Charlotte and was a fan favorite, making the postseason twice and three All-Star appearances.
He played in over 600 games for the franchise.
Walker has now returned to North Carolina, where he will serve as a player improvement coach at the Spectrum Center.
“Congratulations to Kemba, I appreciate what he did for the game.” wrote one Hornets fan on X.
“I wish injuries would keep him away, Charlotte Kemba was so tough,” said another.
“Kemba might still be PG for the Hornets to be honest,” joked a third.
“He has a lot of basketball knowledge to offer the next generation of players,” a fourth added.
“Future head coach, for sure,” commented a fifth.
Before being drafted in the first round by Charlotte, Kemba was a star for the UConn Huskies in college.
He won the NCAA title with Connecticut his freshman year, emerging as one of the country’s most talented stars.
Walker became a franchise player for the Hornets and remains the all-time leading scorer with 12,009 points, per NBA. with.
What does the new TV deal mean for the NBA?
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By US Sun Assistant Sports Editor Damian Burchardt.
The new television rights deal promises to be a big win for NBA players.
The league is expected to more than double revenue from its media partners, pocketing around $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge salary cap increase in 2025-26.
This will cause the value of players’ contracts to skyrocket.
Projected numbers suggest we could see the first $100 million per year deal being signed soon.
Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum is currently set to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, bringing in $71.5 million in 2029-30.
It seems like basketball fans would be on the losing side of the fight if the NBA and TNT actually split.
Inside the NBA is a unique sports entertainment program, as evidenced by ESPN’s continued failure to create its own version of the show in recent years.
The NBA won’t be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck’s endless fights every Tuesday night.
He left Charlotte in 2019 for the Boston Celtics in a deal worth $141 million over four years.
But injuries took their toll on the talented guard, who landed with the New York Knicks two years later, before joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2022.
“Basketball has done more for me than I could ever imagine,” Walker wrote in a social media statement on Tuesday.
“I am so grateful for the incredible journey I have had. With that, I’m here to share that I am officially retiring from basketball.
“This has been a dream. When I look back, I still can’t believe the things I’ve accomplished in my career.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story