Embracing homecoming, Knicks make Kemba Walker signing official
NEW YORK — The Knicks are embracing the homecoming.
In conjunction with Kemba Walker’s signing becoming official Wednesday, the Knicks sent out a video with a Bronx Tale theme and narrated by Chazz Palminteri.
“As they say in a different ‘Bronx Tale,’ you got to do what your heart tells you to do,” said Palminteri, the star of the 1993 award-winning film. “And for Kemba Walker, that means coming back to where it all began.”
Walker inked his two-year, $18 million deal after getting bought out by the Thunder and clearing waivers. The Bronx-bred point guard arrives with knee concerns but also the upside of a four-time All-Star.
Walker is among a waning group of NBA standouts who played in New York City high schools, having helped Rice to a state title in 2009.
It’s also a burden coming home as a multi-millionaire (Walker has earned about $200 million in his career), but the 31-year-old has a reputation for being high-character and hard-working.
“Everybody loves Kemba, everybody is going to be pulling for him,” Dwayne Mitchell, who coached Walker in high school and AAU, told the New York Daily News. “The good thing for him is he’s older. He’s always been mature. Now he’s even older, he’s a veteran, I think it helps him deal with a little bit of that element of just everybody is pulling at Kemba.”
Walker will likely start at point guard and split time with Derrick Rose, who he played against in high school at MSG. It’s a relatively low-risk signing for New York, but the big question is Walker’s health — especially when compounded by Rose’s own knee issues. Walker’s production dipped dramatically last season, when knee pain forced Walker to miss nearly 30 games and two in the playoffs.
Walker said he’d spend the summer concentrating on his health after back-to-back shortened offseasons; he played in the FIBA World Cup in 2019, and deep in the bubble schedule in 2020. It could be good timing for the Knicks.
Walker’s just one season removed from a stretch of four straight All-Star appearances.
“We are beyond thrilled to bring native New Yorker Kemba Walker back to the city he’s proud to call home. He’s a tremendous talent whose skill and leadership will be a huge addition to our organization,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “We’ve already seen how well he performs on The Garden stage and can’t wait to witness it on a nightly basis in front of his family, friends and the best fans in the league.”
