Kemba Walker

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Walker's rise began in Harlem at Rice High School, where he posted 18.2 points and 5.3 assists as a senior, earning McDonald's All-American honors. At UConn, his junior year defined his legacy; twelve games into the season, he was the nation's leading scorer with 26.7 points per game. He led the Huskies to a historic run, hitting a buzzer-beater against Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament and scoring an unprecedented 130 points over five days to win the championship. This performance earned him consensus first-team All-American status and the Bob Cousy Award. On April 4, 2011, he rallied UConn with 16 points to secure the Division I Championship, becoming the program's Most Outstanding Player and the first men's player added to the Huskies of Honor since its 2006 inception.

In Their Own Story

In Charlotte, Walker transformed from a rookie into a franchise icon. On January 18, 2016, he set a career-high and franchise record with 52 points in a double-overtime win over the Utah Jazz, connecting on 14-of-15 free throws. His clutch gene was legendary; on December 27, 2014, he scored a then-career-high 42 points, including 35 in the second half against Orlando. He became one of four players in Hornets history to score 30-plus points in three consecutive games during January 2015. His resilience was tested on January 28, 2015, when he underwent surgery for a torn lateral meniscus but returned just six weeks later. Earlier in his career, as the Bobcats struggled to a 7–59 record in the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, he became their starting point guard due to D.J. Augustin's injury, participating in the Rising Stars Challenge.

Reader's Guide

Fans should note Walker's specific milestones: he signed his rookie scale contract on December 11, 2011, and a four-year, $48 million extension on October 30, 2014. His first NBA game-winner came on November 14, 2012, against Minnesota with 22 points. In the 2013–14 season, he recorded his second career triple-double (13 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds) against Orlando and led a playoff franchise-high 29 points in a loss to Miami. Between January 3 and 7, 2015, he scored 30, 33, and 31 points in back-to-back wins over the Magic, Celtics, and Pelicans. He also averaged 30.3 points for a week in January 2015, earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week. After leaving Charlotte in 2019, he joined AS Monaco to win a LNB Élite title before returning to the Hornets as a coach.

Did You Know?

• Walker scored an unprecedented 130 points in five games during the 2011 Big East tournament, a record for any conference tournament in the past 15 seasons.
• He became the first men's basketball player added to the UConn Huskies of Honor since the class was announced in December 2006.
• As a freshman at UConn, Walker started only two games but averaged 25.5 minutes per contest, helping the team reach the 2009 Final Four with a 23-point performance against Missouri.
• In January 2015, Walker joined Larry Johnson, Glen Rice, and Kelly Tripucka as one of four players in Hornets history to score 30-plus points in three consecutive games.