Boston Celtics: Michael Jordan’s connection to Kemba Walker, and what it means for the C’s

Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Kemba Walker recently discussed his relationship with the great Michael Jordan. What could this connection mean for the success of the C’s franchise moving forward?

Prior to Kemba Walker‘s tenure with the Boston Celtics, he was an eight year veteran for the Hornets. Selected ninth overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the, then Charlotte Bobcats, Walker was seen as a promising young point guard who could serve as a building block for the team moving forward.

Though he only managed to taste the succulent flavor of playoff basketball twice with the franchise, he did manage to etch himself into the history books as one of the organization’s greatest players from it’s 32 year existence.

Becoming the ball clubs all-time leader in points & shot attempts as well as ranking in the top-5 for assists, steal and player efficiency rating it’s clear that the story of NBA basketball in Charlotte cannot be told without the inclusion of Kemba Walker’s name.

And, like many others, Michael Jordan is a major reason why the 29 year old has ascended to such great heights.

"“I looked up to MJ. I remember, as a young kid, I used to go to the park. Be there alone and, you know, go up and down the court for the last second shots in the fourth quarter. Five, four three, two, one. Shoot it. Try and make as many of those as I can because that’s what MJ did."

Every fan of basketball, at one point in time, wanted to be Jordan or, at the very least, of the same ilk in one way or another. Playing in the NBA is the ultimate goal for almost every driven basketball player, and a lot of the drive comes from watching the greatest of all time — whether it be during his playing days or from watching film or highlights of “His Airness.”

For Kemba, being drafted into the league was a dream come true. But to have been selected by the franchise owned by Jordan himself? Now that brought on a whole ‘nother level of emotions.

"“Never in a million years did I ever think that I would be playing for MJ and be able to have a relationship with him.”"

Recently, ESPN and Netflix have done us the honor during this horrid time in world history know as the COVID-19 pandemic by providing us with “The Last Dance”, an in depth look at the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, and how they became one of the greatest franchises in league history all within a span of 14 years.

Similar to Walker with Charlotte — only, obviously, to a greater magnitude — the story of NBA basketball in Chicago cannot be told without Michael Jordan. Frankly, the story of basketball as a whole cannot be told without MJ.

With this in mind, it would be an obvious statement to suggest that being taken under the G.O.A.T’s wing would be an unbelievable opportunity for a young player. That happened to Kemba Walker during his tenure with Charlotte and, as one would imagine, their relationship eventually blossomed into a “brotherhood.”

"“That’s like my big brother. I appreciate him. Very grateful to him and what he’s done for me and my family and how he helped me progress through my career.”"

Now suiting up with the Boston Celtics, Walker has provided the team first mentality and leadership that was ever so missing last season with Kyrie Irving leading the way at the one.

Thanks to stat lines of 21.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game on 38 percent shooting from deep, the point guard was voted in as a starter to this year’s NBA All-Star game and has guided the C’s to the third best record in the Eastern Conference at 43-21.

With him in tow, we’ve seen unbelievable progressions from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both have managed to up their scoring averages 20+ a game and Tatum was bestowed the honors of NBA All-Star along with Walker.

While there are many reasons for the success found from the Boston Celtics in 2019-20, one major factor is clearly the presence of Walker in green and white.

Through his first season, the veteran point guard has proven to be a great mentor and leader for this young and talented C’s roster — similar to Jordan’s impact on Walker.

In just year one of his tenure, we’ve seen massive improvements from the team’s young and promising core.

Like we’ve seen in “The Last Dance”, Jordan seemed to always play with some sort of chip on his shoulder which, thus, pushed him to be his best. It’s likely MJ’s decision to not re-sign Walker this offseason due to his reported belief that he is not a “max type player” could place a similar sized chip on his own shoulders. Could this push Walker to do the same?

If this does wind up proving to be the case, this could be just the beginning of great things to come for the Celtics in the 2020’s.