Four-time NBA All-Star and UConn basketball legend Kemba Walker announced his retirement earlier today.
It’s an end to an incredible career that began at the now-defunct Rice High School to a fantastic three seasons at UConn and a 13-year career in professional basketball with most of the time being in the NBA. He’s one of the greatest players in Charlotte Hornets history and leads the franchise in scoring.
In this article, I want to talk about the best games in his three years at Connecticut, where he went to two Final Fours and won a national championship. Shoutout to UConnHuskyGames.com and the official March Madness YouTube channel, where you can find and watch these games.
Kemba’s career-high performance vs. Vermont
This one will be the most overlooked game because of its opponent, but Walker had his best outing (scoring-wise) in the team’s second game of the 2010-11 season. The Bronx, N.Y. native went for 42 points and eight rebounds, including four 3-pointers.
UConn’s whole run in the 2010 EA Sports Maui Invitational
Then-associate head coach George Blaney can sum up the lack of hype the Huskies had coming into the season. He said that when the Sports Illustrated issue came out listing the top 68 teams, UConn was not among the top 68 teams in the country. That gave the team fuel, especially their leading point guard.
The 2010 Maui Invitational was loaded with great teams, with Michigan State ranked second in the country and Kentucky ranked eighth. Despite that, the Huskies showed no fear coming into the Lahaina Civic Center. Behind their Bob Cousy Award winner, they prevailed. Walker had 31 points in the first game against Wichita State. The closest game was against Michigan State, where he had 30 points including four 3-pointers. He had three steals in each of the first two games. In the team’s championship-winning game against Kentucky, Walker finished with 29 points, six assists and two steals. This three-game run through the Maui Invitational is a must-watch as it showed the potential of the young Huskies.
Clutch regular season wins
There were two iconic moments during the 2010-11 season. While his greatness isn’t limited to his junior season, it is by far the most notable. Two games that come to mind during that season include a game-winner over then-No. 7 Villanova and a ranked matchup at Texas. In Texas’s state capital, Walker hit a circus shot in overtime and finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and two steals. In a thrilling win at home against Villanova, he hit the game-winner and finished with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists.
5 Games, 5 Days, 5 Wins, One Big East Championship
Aside from the six national titles the program has won, this may be the most impressive accomplishment. In a year where the Big East had 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament, even the ninth-place team (in this case, it was Connecticut) was ranked in the Associated Press’s Top 25. Walker scored a combined 130 points throughout the five games the Huskies played to win their seventh Big East Tournament title.
In the team’s first round rout over DePaul, Walker had 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He put up a 28-point, 6-rebound effort against Georgetown. While his performance wasn’t as spectacular throughout the game, Walker hit the biggest shot of his career to beat top-seeded Pittsburgh, finishing with 24 points and five assists. Walker exploded in the semifinal round battle against Syracuse, finishing with 33 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and six steals. In the Big East Championship game, Walker had 19 points and earned MVP honors following the Huskies’ historic win.
“A Run For the Ages” – The Run to the National Championship
Walker torched through competition during the 2011 NCAA Tournament. From Washington, D.C. to Anaheim to Houston, no one was beating him.
In the convincing win over Bucknell in the round of 64, Walker almost had a triple-double, scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out 12 assists. In the Huskies’ 11-point win over conference foe Cincinnati, the All-American had 33 points, six rebounds and five assists while knocking down all 14 of his free throws. Against Kawhi Leonard-led San Diego State, Walker had 36 points while knocking down four shots from long range. To punch a ticket to his second Final Four, Walker scored 20 points and handed out seven assists. In the Maui Invitational championship game rematch, Walker shined again, scoring 18 points, grabbing six boards and recording seven assists. In their season-ending win against Butler, he finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Last Two Season Highlights
If you want to look at his last two seasons at UConn in two highlight videos, click below:
Calhoun's Corner 
great recap. Brought back a lot of memories
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