Jalen Brunson’s Happiness Over Kemba Walker’s Retirement Stems From A Singular Reason

After spending one season overseas with AS Monaco, former NBA star Kemba Walker has announced his retirement from basketball. The 34-year-old played in the league for 12 seasons and was a perennial All-Star between 2017 and 2020. While most fans were sad upon learning about his retirement, Jalen Brunson was elated about the guard hanging up his boots.

The news of Walker’s retirement broke when Brunson was recording the latest episode of the Roommates Show podcast with New York Knicks star Josh Hart. He told the forward that he had just received a notification about the former Boston Celtics star bidding farewell to the game. Brunson said, “Just got a tweet that’s…happy for me, honestly.” The Knicks star quickly explained that he was ecstatic because he’d no longer have to face Walker.

Brunson said that few players in the league were as skilled as the four-time All-Star. In all their years of playing against one another, Walker was the player that Brunson hated playing against the most. He said,

“This is the one player who I dreaded playing against and guarding in my career… Man, Kemba used to make me look stupid. Even it if, maybe didn’t look stupid, I felt like an idiot guarding him.”

The 27-year-old added that he felt so helpless against Walker that he would rather take charge against Zion Williamson than face the guard. Brunson then congratulated Walker for a great NBA career and wished him luck for his future. This isn’t the first time that Brunson has heaped praise on Walker.

Jalen Brunson has always hated playing against Kemba Walker

During a conversation with NBA insider Chris Haynes in March, Brunson explained why he detested guarding Walker and spoke about the physical punishment he was willing to take if it meant he wouldn’t have to face the four-time All-Star. He said,

“When he stopped on a dime, I was still going, like another two, three, four steps. I had to go back that way and he’s going to come back across this way. That was never fun…I’d rather take a charge from (Nikola) Jokic, like a seven-footer, or (Joel) Embiid than do that. It was not fun.”

Such high praise coming from one of the finest talents in the league must mean a lot to Kemba Walker. He can take pride in making Brunson tremble in his boots when they face one another.

Walker is walking away from competing on the court but isn’t leaving the NBA. The former Charlotte Hornets star bid adieu to his playing career to accept a player enhancement role with the franchise. Brunson no longer has to worry about facing the guard, but is now tasked with guarding players under his tutelage.