Four-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker has signed a one-year contract with AS Monaco of the EuroLeague, the team announced on Friday.
This will be Walker’s first time playing in Europe, following a 12-season run in the NBA.
While Walker is only 33, he has had significant knee issues in recent years which have hampered his career and led to his move to Europe. He first underwent knee surgery in 2015, but the problems started to crop up again after signing a max deal with the Boston Celtics in 2019. He missed more than half of the 2021-22 season with the New York Knicks and played just nine games with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2022-23 season.
A first-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Walker was selected ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Charlotte Hornets). He stayed in Charlotte for eight seasons, making three straight All-Star Games as a Hornet before agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal with the Celtics, who had just lost Al Horford and Kyrie Irving. He made his fourth consecutive All-Star team with Boston, but was traded after just two years. From there, he bounced back to the Knicks and finally to the Cavs this year, where he averaged 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 42.1% shooting in just nine total games.
Walker joins a growing team. AS Monaco finished third in the EuroLeague and won their first French league title last season, sending Victor Wembanyama’s (Metropolitan 92) side home without winning a single match.