Free agent point guard Kemba Walker will resume his playing career in Europe, having signed with AS Monaco Basket for the 2023-24 season. The team, which competes in France’s LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague, confirmed the deal on Twitter.
A four-time NBA All-Star, Walker has been slowed in recent years by knee injuries. He was traded from New York to Detroit in a salary-dump deal during the 2022 offseason and was waived by the Pistons prior to the regular season. He caught on with the Mavericks in November but appeared in just nine games for the team last season before being cut in January.
Walker, 33, can still be an effective offensive player when healthy. He has averaged 19.3 points and 5.3 assists per game over the course of 750 career NBA appearances, with shooting averages of .418/.360/.840. However, he was never an elite defender and his knee issues have exacerbated his struggles on that end of the court, which was a key factor in his lack of recent NBA opportunities.
Walker will be joining an AS Monaco team that finished with a 21-13 record in EuroLeague regular season play last season and advanced to the EuroLeague Final Four. Monaco lost in the first round of the Final Four but won the third-place game.
Mike James, Donatas Motiejunas, Jaron Blossomgame, Donta Hall and Elie Okobo are among the other former NBA players on Monaco’s roster.
More must-reads: