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Following his recent decision to sign for the Boston Celtics as the new face of the franchise moving forward, Kemba Walker was quick to show his appreciation to his former team, the Charlotte Hornets.
In a write-up he penned for The Players' Tribune, Walker shared how much love he has for the Hornets. At one point, the three-time All-Star point guard even described how Charlotte team owner Michael Jordan played a pivotal role in his development from the get-go.
According to Walker, Jordan was one of the first people he spoke to from the Hornets after the team selected him ninth overall in the 2011 Draft.
Article Continues BelowHe called me up….. and of course I recognized his voice instantly. (I remember thinking, even in that moment, you know, like — Damn. It’s MIKE.) And real calm, real cool, he just said, “Kemba, we believe in you. I want you to know that. We believe in you, and we expect great things.”
That was one epic phone call, and one that would have absolutely dwarfed a lesser man. Having arguably the best player to ever play the sport personally call you up to tell you how much he expects of you is definitely a pretty intimidating experience. However, this was simply not the case for Walker, who saw this opportunity as a life-changing moment that he would carry for the rest of his career.
To some people, that probably sounds like any old pep talk. But what you have to understand is — it’s like I said: It’s MIKE. It’s Air Jordan! It’s the greatest, period. And you have the greatest, period, not just drafting you with this high pick….. but then also talking about how he expects greatness out of you?
Man, I’m not exaggerating when I say that those words from MJ changed my life.
Walker leaves Charlotte after seven seasons.
We're sure Jordan and the rest of the organization would have preferred that he stayed, but after all he has done for the franchise, there is definitely no ill-will between the two parties moving forward.
