2023-09-15 15:42:23
“I signed with Monaco because I felt that they wanted me”: this season, Monaco bet on the NBA leader, Kemba Walker, 33 years old, four times All-Star, despite a recalcitrant left knee and a communication which fuels doubts.
When, on July 21, Monaco announced the signing of Kemba Walker, the news caused a sensation in the world of European basketball. Four times selected for the NBA All-Star Game between 2017 and 2020, Walker is a very solid playmaker (1.83 m for 83 kg), experienced, with high-flying statistics.
He is thus the best scorer in the history of the Charlotte Hornets, with a record of 60 points in a game. He also has 781 NBA games played, including 750 in the regular season. However, for three years, his left knee has been causing him pain. And he is nothing more than a shadow of himself.
Moreover, last season, Walker only played nine games with the Dallas Mavericks, who had recruited him free in November, before cutting him in January.
Although he participated in the Monegasque pre-season training camp in Bormio in Italy, then in Turkey, Walker has still not played a single meeting with the Roca Team.
– Not before mid-October –
Kemba Walker with the New York Knicks, January 28, 2022 in Milwaukee / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives
“For the moment, the staff is trying to protect me as best as possible, he admits. I cannot give a precise date regarding my return. But I am confident. I will be able to play. I hope it will be as quickly as possible. possible. I do everything with the staff for that.”
According to internal medical protocol, a return to court is not planned before mid-October. This would correspond to Monaco’s first match of the season at home in the Euroleague, against Bologna on the 2nd day of the competition, scheduled for October 13.
In the meantime, will the American star be able to regain enough physical strength to once again become a major player in the Euroleague, where he knows that “the spaces are smaller than in the NBA”? The question remains.
Very pragmatic, coach Sasa Obradovic specifies: “We will wait until he is fully recovered before starting him. But everyone knows his level and his value when he is in good shape. I am also counting on him to have a role as a model .”
– “Impact on and off the field” –
At this level, Walker already seems to be unanimous on the Rock. His teammates appreciate his humility and the content of the discussions proposed. John Brown III would, for example, “never imagine one day being in the same squad as Kemba”.
Kemba Walker with the Dallas Mavericks, December 16, 2022 in Dallas / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives
“We always ask the question about his knee and his health,” continues Oleksiy Yefimov, the Monegasque general manager. “But when you talk to those who have worked with him, they all say that he is a very good person. Kemba is a mastermind of the game. He will make an impact on and off the field. That’s why we targeted him from the start.”
Walker does not hesitate, in return, to speak of a “great team” when he talks about the squad of the French champions. “If the NBA is the highest level, many NBA players would like to try an experience in Europe,” he further emphasizes.
And as a leader, he concludes: “I don’t know what impact I can have on others in the NBA. But signing in Monaco is a personal choice. I discovered this magnificent place four or five years ago during a sponsor promotion tour. I signed for Monaco because I felt they wanted me. The people at the club all opened their arms to me. They made things easy for me. I want to be back the most as soon as possible.” History of also influencing the game…
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