Kemba Walker, Charlotte’s all-time leading scorer, officially retires from pro basketball

Charlotte’s all-time leading scorer is hanging up his sneakers.

Kemba Walker , who dazzled Spectrum Center crowds during his eight seasons with the Charlotte Hornets , has called it a career, officially retiring from playing professional basketball. The 34-year-old made the announcement Tuesday, explaining he felt it’s the appropriate time to shift gears.

“Basketball has done more for me than I could’ve ever imagined,” Walker said in a statement posted on his social media accounts, “and I’m super thankful for the amazing journey I’ve had.”

Drafted ninth overall by the organization in 2011 when it was still called the Bobcats, Walker experienced plenty of highs and lows in Charlotte, including the franchise-worst 7-59 campaign during his rookie season in 2011-12.

A native of the Bronx in New York, Walker appeared in 605 career games for Charlotte, averaging 19.8 points, 5.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 34.1 minutes. He was the heart and soul of the team, developing into a leader as he blossomed into one of the toughest guards to defend in the league.

Walker ascended to All-Star status, grabbing the honor on three occasions. He’s the Charlotte’s all-time leader in points scored (12,009), minutes played (20,607), made 3-pointers (1,283), field goals (4,164), free throws made (2,398), games with 20-points or more (299), outings with at least 30 points (84) and 40-point games (16).

His best season came in 2018-19, when he saw action in all 82 games, posting a career-best 25.6 points that ranked 12th in the league and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Walker also averaged 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 34.9 minutes en route to collecting an All-NBA third-team selection.

That stellar year propelled Walker to a lucrative pay day, allowing him to cash in on his unrestricted free agency status. The Hornets sent him to Boston for Terry Rozier and a 2020 second-round draft pick as part of a sign-and-trade agreement paving the way for Walker to ink a four-year, $140 million contract.

But knee injuries derailed things for Walker once he arrived in Boston. He only appeared in 147 total games after being traded, with the majority of them coming during his first season with the Celtics in 2019-20.

He last appeared in the NBA with Dallas in 2022-23, playing in nine games before being waived prior to his salary becoming guaranteed three months into the season. Walker most recently took his game overseas, playing this past season for AS Monaco of the French LNB Pro A and EuroLeague.

He’s always maintained his home here, even after leaving town to play for other teams, and was spotted at Charles Lee’s introductory press conference last week. Now that he’s no longer playing, there’s a chance the Hornets bring him on board in some capacity.