Having played in Charlotte for the first 8 years of his NBA career, Kemba Walker built up a great relationship with the former majority owner of the franchise, Michael Jordan. This allowed him to spend quite a bit of time with him, which conversely gave him some great stories about the 61-year-old. When asked to talk about some of the most interesting ones on the 7 PM in Brooklyn Podcast, he immediately detailed why he would never gamble with him again.
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Walker initially laid out the timeline of the story, saying that it happened during his second year in the NBA. Then speaking about why he would never gamble with Jordan again, he announced that he was simply too intense. He then explained the hilarious story behind how he learned this lesson, saying,
“This was my second year. One thing I learned, I ain’t gambling with him [Michael Jordan]! I ain’t gon lie! He different. I gambled with him when we was in Monaco one time. He too intense! He too intense bro. I’m good… He throwing the money down, I can’t compete with him! And I didn’t even get paid at the time. I’m like, ‘I ain’t got it yet’.”
It’s a bit hard to blame Kemba Walker for being taken aback by Michael Jordan’s ferocity on the gambling table. After all, the Chicago Bulls legend is known to be perhaps a bit too intense, no matter the walk of life.
This paired with the fact that he has all the money in the world now would never be favorable to anyone but him, no matter the game. And due to it, Kemba learned a valuable lesson about giving MJ a chance to take his money.
Of course, this wasn’t the only thing he learned during his time with Jordan. As Kemba Walker revealed in a 2020 interview, Jordan also made sure to keep his former player on his toes whenever he was on a basketball court.
Michael Jordan’s advice to Kemba Walker
Michael Jordan is often hailed for bringing his all whenever he stepped into a game in the NBA, no matter the team. Evidently, this is a habit he looked to impart to his players as well. Explaining how he did it, Kemba Walker said,
“He always taught me, ‘Don’t get comfortable.’ Like, that’s his thing. ‘Don’t get comfortable. Don’t get comfortable.’ And I always heard it, too. Like, I ain’t getting comfortable, man! Like, I’m keeping this job forever!” [per the Boston Celtics]
This advice helped Walker be one of the better players in the NBA during his time with the Charlotte Hornets. And today, as he assumes a coaching role with the franchise, he will likely hope he can impart the same knowledge to the team’s young roster.
