Kemba Walker Says He Chose Celtics For The Chance To Win Championships
BOSTON (CBS) -- Since leading the UConn Huskies to a national title in 2011, Kemba Walker hasn't experienced much winning. He's ready for that to change.
Speaking to Scott Van Pelt on ESPN's "SportsCenter" shortly after officially agreeing to a four-deal to join the Celtics, the three-time All-Star point guard explained what inspired him to leave Charlotte and head for Boston.
The answer had a whole lot to do with all of those banners hanging in the Garden rafters.
"Aw man, when you think of the Celtics, you think of championships. You think of winning. And that's what I'm about. I'm about, you know, competing for championships and winning," Walker said. "That's something I haven't been able to do throughout the early years of my career. I haven't been a consistent winner in this league.
"I just felt like Boston was the best fit for me to try and accomplish those kind of goals."
Later, Walker reiterated that his decision to leave the Hornets was all about getting himself the best opportunity to win.
"Now it's about competing at the highest level, which we all know Boston is doing that year in, year out," Walker said. "I want to be a part of something really special as far as being able to compete at the highest level and getting myself the best opportunity to make a run in the playoffs."
Walker had a rough introduction to winning in the NBA, as his rookie season saw the Bobcats go just 7-59 in a lockout-shortened season. It hadn't improved tremendously over the seven seasons that followed, with Charlotte making the playoffs just twice, losing in the first round to the Miami Heat both times -- first via four-game sweep, then in a seventh game blowout loss. With just those 11 playoff games over eight years, Walker's barely gotten a taste of the postseason, which helped inspire his decision to head out of Charlotte.
Still, leaving the only NBA home he's ever known was not easy.
"The hardest part for me is having to leave the city and the organization that I've been a part of for eight years, the organization that gave me the first opportunity to go from a boy to a man in this league," Walker told Van Pelt. "It was a really tough decision, but it was something that I had to do in order to try and fulfill some dreams of mine and compete. It's one of the toughest things I definitely had to do in my career."
Walker also wrote a story for The Players' Tribune that published Monday, in which he thanked the entire Hornets organization for giving him a chance and also introduced himself to Boston.
"I'm a leader in my own way. I'm never going to shout anyone off the court, or get overly negative. It's not my style. But what I do is I take pride in making my teammates better — I'm that lead by example type. I like to keep it direct," Walker explained. "I'm ALWAYS looking to improve! I made my first-ever All-NBA team last season, but I'm not trying to gain satisfaction from that. I'm trying to gain motivation. Every year, my goal is simple: to get better, and go farther. I take my responsibilities as a professional very seriously — but I also try not to lose sight of why I'm here in the first place. I love this game. So we're going to grind for those buckets….. we're going to grind for those stops….. but I'll tell you what else: we're going to have some fun out there. And you can bet we're going to be fun to watch."
