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When Kemba Walker was coming out of college in 2011, the Charlotte Hornets had already decided he would not be on their draft list. But that year's conference championship and NCAA tournament changed the mind of none other than Hornets owner Michael Jordan.
Walker played for the University of Connecticut back then, and led the team not only to a conference title, but also an NCAA title soon after that. Although the Hornets already had D.J. Augustine and did not need a point guard in the draft, Jordan decided Walker was a guy they could not pass on, per Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports.
A source familiar with Charlotte’s thinking at the time believes Walker reminded Jordan of himself because of his knack for clutch shots and thirst to win.
“Michael Jordan fell in love with Kemba because of how great Kemba was in the NCAA tournament, the source said. “Michael’s the greatest competitor of all time. Michael saw a little bit of the competitiveness that he had in Kemba. As good as Connecticut was at that time, they couldn’t have done it if Kemba hadn’t put that team on his back. I think Michael placed such a high value on that.”
Talk about a good impression. Walker went from not even being on Charlotte's radar to impressing the best basketball player in a matter of just a few weeks.
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So far, it's worked out for Walker in some ways. He's clearly the best player on that team and one of the most formidable point guards in the NBA.
But his success unfortunately hasn't translated to much team success in his career so far. There was talk at the trade deadline of dealing him so the Hornets can save themselves some money.
Walker is too good to stay in a situation where he can't win at a high level. Something needs to happen soon.
