The winning culture of the Boston Celtics clearly was a factor in Kemba Walker deciding to join the historic NBA franchise in free agency.
Walker reportedly agreed to sign a four-year, $141 million max contract with the Celtics on Sunday night. Later in the evening, he joined "SportsCenter" with host Scott Van Pelt and explained what went into his decision to leave the Charlotte Hornets and come to Boston.
"I wanted to be part of something really special as far as really being able to compete at the highest level and give myself the best opportunity to make a run in the playoffs," Walker said.
Walker is a huge boost to the Celtics' roster. He's coming off an excellent season in which he averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game, was named an All-Star starter and was selected to the All-NBA third team.
The 29-year-old point guard spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Hornets and reached the playoffs only twice. Both of those postseason appearance ended with first-round exits. Walker considered the Celtics as the best fit for him to realize playoff success.
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"When you think of the Celtics, you think of championships," Walker said. "You think of winning, and that's what I'm about. I'm about competing for championships and winning, and that's something I haven't been able to do throughout the early years of my career. I haven't been a consistent winner in this league. I just felt like Boston was the best fit for me to try and accomplish those kinds of goals."
The Celtics should again be among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference next season after replacing Kyrie Irving with Walker. The C's still have other moves to make, however, particularly in the frontcourt, where their depth at power forward and center is lacking.
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