Kemba Walker lands job with former team one day after NBA retirement

After announcing his retirement as a player earlier this week, Kemba Walker is returning to his NBA roots.

On Wednesday, the Hornets announced that the former All-Star guard is returning to Charlotte as an assistant. Walker will officially serve as a player enhancement coach.

That is a poetic return for the 34-year-old Walker, perhaps the greatest player in Hornets franchise history. He was drafted by Charlotte in 2011 when they were still known as the Bobcats and went on to spend eight memorable seasons with them. Walker made three All-Star teams plus an All-NBA team with the Hornets and earned two NBA Sportsmanship Awards there. On top of that, Walker led Charlotte to their two most recent playoff appearances and is the franchise’s all-time leader in multiple categories (including points with 12,009).

Walker, who left the Hornets as a free agent in 2019, released an emotional statement on Tuesday announcing his retirement from basketball. Now, a half-decade later, Cardiac Kemba is back in Charlotte, and we can safely say that nature is healing.