Michael Jordan pushed Kemba Walker to play like his UConn days, not defer to veterans

Kemba Walker became a 4-time All-Star during his time with the Charlotte Hornets.

Michael Jordan pushed Kemba Walker to play like his UConn days, not defer to veterans

Former Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan pushed Kemba Walker to play like his UConn days

Kemba Walker played for the Charlotte Hornets for eight seasons. At that time, he established himself as one of the premier scoring guards in the league. However, it did not come immediately after coming out of UConn. This forced then-team owner Michael Jordan to push him to play better.

The now-retired star came on as a guest on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero podcast. There, when host Kid Mero asked Walker to talk about some of the best stories surrounding Jordan. Walker revealed giving too much respect to the team’s veterans in his second year. Jordan noticed it and advised Walker to become the aggressive version of himself from college.

I didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes so I’m kind of deferring a little bit. I guess he kind of realized it. So, he called me in the office, and he closed the door. He looked me in my face and said, ‘I didn’t bring you here to defer, I drafted you myself. I didn’t draft you here to defer or be the way you are. I want you to be aggressive, I want you to play how you played at UConn.'
Kemba Walker via 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero
YouTube video

This shows that Michael Jordan did not like Walker deferring to other players. He drafted Walker for a reason. Kemba Walker put together a standout season in his final year at UConn that helped them win an NCAA Championship. Every young player in the league likely benefits from some mentoring.

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Jordan drafted Walker because he wanted that elite scoring. This is why when Walker was not delivering that level of performance, the 6-time champion had to step in. Jordan wanted to make Kemba Walker know the very purpose he has as a basketball player. Since then, Walker started taking the onus and became the star player that he was known for.

Kemba Walker’s All-Star career and injuries

Kemba Walker was a score-first point guard, the type that needs the ball in their hands to produce. With the Charlotte Hornets, he first started off putting up points, but not to the effect that he did in college. Then, from his fifth season onwards, Walker exploded.

For five seasons straight, he averaged 20 points per game. He made the All-Star teams in 4 of those years, establishing himself as one of the best scoring guards. This reputation prompted the Boston Celtics to court him in free agency, but then, injuries started to hamper him. His knees struggled, and he missed a major chunk of games.

This led to further trades, and he last played in the 2022-23 season. Now he is officially retired. However, his legacy as one of the best scoring guards will continue to go around with him wherever he goes. In the end, a little bit of help from a certain Michael Jordan went a long way for Walker.

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