Kemba Walker suited up in a Hornets uniform for eight seasons, winning the hearts of fans along the way. However, the former No. 9 overall pick made the decision to join the Boston Celtics this summer, agreeing to the terms of a four-year, $141 million deal. On Thursday, he'll face off against his former team for the first time.
So… what should we expect to see?
Walker knows it will be an emotional scene. Ultimately, though, he's looking for a win:
“It’s coming quicker than I thought. I know it’s going to be pretty emotional. But I’m looking forward to it,” Walker said of playing in Charlotte as a visitor for the first time in his career, via NBC Sports. “I really want to beat them.”
Walker is off to a great start with the Celtics. He's accepted a leadership role with the team, and the results have come in the form of an early 5-1 record. Through those six games, he's turned in averages of 26.0 points on 40.4 percent shooting from the field (42.6 percent from beyond the arc), 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 34.7 minutes per outing. He's also been extremely efficient at the free-throw line, knocking down 91.1 percent of his attempts.
Article Continues BelowWalker may have chosen to stay with the Hornets had their offer been a bit more up to par. Instead, he chose to join the Celtics, who lost Kyrie Irving to the Brooklyn Nets.
Though he's no longer a member of the Hornets, Walkers says it will be nice to run around his old stomping grounds:
“It’s going to be fun. I’m really looking forward to it,” Walker told NBC Sports, referring to Thursday's game in Charlotte. “Going back, obviously seeing my family, seeing my old teammates, everybody in the arena, and just everybody around the organization.”
Speaking of former Hornets teammates, Cody Zeller is going to be wearing a unique pair of shoes in Thursday's game to pay homage to Walker and his work with the Charlotte Big Brothers Big Sisters program, according to a report from ESPN. Walker dedicated a lot of his time to the Charlotte chapter during his stint with the Hornets, regularly serving as a volunteer.
“Through my work with them, they truly became part of my Charlotte family, and even though I'm not there full-time, I still maintain my relationship with them,” Walker told ESPN. “They are a big part of my life now.”
In the end, we're looking for Kemba to have a big game in the city that reciprocated his love. Win or lose, his legacy in Charlotte is already set in stone.