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Kemba Walker Details Decision to Retire, Join Hornets' Staff

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Jul 31, 2024 3:45 PM ET

There are several new faces on the Charlotte Hornets' roster and coaching staff, but there's one familiar one who is making a return to the organization, Kemba Walker.

Earlier this offseason, the four-time NBA All-Star and Hornets' franchise scoring leader made the difficult decision to retire from playing basketball, opening the next chapter of his life - coaching. On July 3rd, the Hornets announced the finalized coaching staff for new head coach Charles Lee, a list that included Walker as a player enhancement coach.

In a recent interview with the Hornets' social media team, Walker discussed his decision to retire and why accepting a role on Lee's staff was the right next move for him.

“With the injury with my knee, I was out in Monaco and I just knew. I knew I probably couldn’t play again after that season, so I kind of set a goal for myself to just finish that season which I accomplished. As the season was going on, I was thinking about retirement. It was in the back of my mind. I would say that I’m retiring for about a week and then when that week finished I would say I’m not retiring. I would keep going back and forth.

“When the opportunity came, Charles (Lee) called and I’ve known Charles for a little bit playing against him and it just made sense. We have a whole new regime here in Charlotte and I just kind of wanted to be a part of something new. I think it’s going to be special. I think we really have an opportunity to do something special here, so I wanted to be a part of that. And what better place than Charlotte? The team that drafted me.”

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This article first appeared on Charlotte Hornets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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