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Those who follow the NBA at any capacity already know who Kemba Walker is.
The Celtics' new star point guard had been a standout player in the league for the last eight years with the Charlotte Hornets before joining Boston this past offseason.
But there's so much more to know about Walker than his killer stepback and ability to score at will.
Here's everything you need to know about the new face of the C's. . .
Age: 29 (Born May 8, 1990)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 184 lb
High School: Rice High School (New York, New York)
College: University of Connecticut
Position: Point guard
NBA Draft: Selected Round 1, Pick 9 by the Charlotte Bobcats
Jersey #: 8
Accolades: 2008 McDonald's All-American, 2011 First-Team All-American, 2011 Big East Tournament MVP, 2011 NCAA champion, 2011 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 3x NBA All-Star, NBA Sportsmanship Award (2017, 2018), All-NBA Third Team (2018-19)
Boston Celtics
RICE HIGH SCHOOL
Walker was a five-star recruit at Rice, per Rivals.com, and listed as the No. 5 point guard (No. 14 overall player) in the country.
As a junior, he went up against Simeon Career Academy senior and future NBA MVP Derrick Rose at Madison Square Garden and led his team to a 53-51 win.
In his senior year, Walker tallied 18.2 points and 5.3 assists per game and was a McDonald's All-American.
UCONN
Kemba quickly rose to stardom at UConn, helping the Huskies to a No. 1 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and leading them to the Final Four in his freshman season.
He really burst on the scene, however, in his junior year when he led the nation in scoring (26.7 points per game) and provided us this unforgettable highlight from the 2011 Big East Tournament:
Walker and the Huskies went on to win the Big East Championship, then the real fun began.
With Walker leading the charge, UConn made its way through the 2011 NCAA Tournament and became Division I champions. Walker earned the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award for his stellar effort.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS/HORNETS
With the ninth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select Kemba Walker from the University of Connecticut.
Walker wasted no time making his presence felt in the pros, averaging 12.1 points, and 4.4 assists per game in limited minutes during his rookie season. He continued to show improvement over his next few years in Charlotte, at which point his career really began to take off in 2015.
Since then, Walker has averaged at least 20 points and five assists per game in each season and has made three All-Star teams. He's emerged as one of the game's premier scorers, and he's only gotten better with each passing season. That's why when he became an unrestricted free agent in 2019, he caught Danny Ainge's eye.
BOSTON CELTICS
Kyrie Irving out, Kemba Walker in. The C's salvaged the loss of Irving in free agency by signing Walker for four years, $141 million to replace him as the new star point guard.
Only six games into his Celtics career, Walker has already provided Celtics fans with a glimpse of what's to come. Last Friday, he became the first C's player since Paul Pierce in 2002 to notch 30+ points, 6+ rebounds, and 4+ assists in three straight games. His efforts have helped the Celtics get off to a strong 5-1 start to their 2019-20 campaign.
Only time will tell whether Walker is the perfect fit for Boston, but from his early years at Rice High School to his most recent game in Green and White, there haven't been any reasons to believe otherwise.
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