CHARLOTTE- Kemba Walker may be a member of the Boston Celtics, but his moments in the purple and teal are unforgettable. Walker created a mystique that buzz city needed ever since players like Alonzo Morning, Larry Johnson, Dell Curry, and a few others left. Those three guys put the city of Charlotte on the map and Walker helped some of the season ticket holders rekindle a little of nostalgia while they were able to watch Walker work for his first eight seasons of his career.
The Charlotte Hornets drafted Walker ninth overall in the 2011 draft out of the University of Connecticut. “Cardiac Kemba” solidified his collegiate legacy after going on a historic run with the Huskies — and it all started with one of the most ridiculous step backs we've ever seen.
Kemba Walker willed his team to 11 straight wins to close out the season as well as a national title over the Butler Bulldogs back in 2011.
After Charlotte decided to take a chance on Walker, he lived up to the hype. His killer crossovers translated to the league after a slow start to his career. As time progressed, his numbers improved. However, we began to see real leadership qualities and earn the respect of several other stars around the league. Fans, players, and coaches around the NBA began to recognize his star power and voted him in as an All Star back in 2016.
As we continued to move forward, Walker accumulated enough points to surpass Dell Curry and claim his spot as the Hornets all time leading scorer against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018. It was such an historic moment that very little could of expected, especially in an era of basketball where it is hard to hang on to a player for as long as they were able to.
Kemba Walker has a franchise high 12,009 points for buzz city, which is an impressive milestone for 6'1 point guard.
The person he did edge out for that record was not just some average Joe, either. Dell Curry was lights out from three for the Hornets in his time. But most of Curry's points came from catch and shoot opportunities, thanks to guys like Muggsy Bogues and Alonzo Morning setting him up for those open looks. A majority of Walker's buckets come off of isolation plays. He was not as fortunate to play with a guy who garners a ton of attention on the offensive side of the ball, which allowed defenses to focus on Walker.
Walker's milestone is an underrated accomplishment. Staying in one city for your entire career is challenging, let alone just a large portion of it. As for him deciding to part from Charlotte, it was a forgone conclusion. Wanting to win in a better situation is not a bad thing. It is very similar to Anthony Davis' decision to bolt for the beaches in LA. Either way, its safe to say Kemba Walker has solidified his status as an all time great for the Charlotte Hornet's Franchise.
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