On Friday evening, food trucks and vendors filled the parking lot of the newly opened Kemba Walker Sports Academy in downtown Concord.
The facility features eight middle school basketball courts, four high school basketball courts and eight volleyball courts. Additional features include a team room for video review along with a strength and condition center.
Walker, a former Charlotte Hornets player, was joined by his family, Concord Mayor Steve Morris and former teammates Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier. Walker, who is now a player enhancement coach for the Hornets, told WFAE there’s a bigger point to having a facility available for the local youth.
“I just want them to have a safe space to go to and play some basketball or or whatever sports is going on in here,” Walker said.
In 2011, Walker, Napier and Lamb were members of the 32-9 University of Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team that won a national title. Walker said having his former teammates in attendance was great — and he said he hopes the youth can develop the same type of relationships in the future.
“That’s the kind of stuff that I want for these kids, you know, like to make friends and, you know, meet new people and, and have, you know, friendships and relationships like that that last a long time. That's what this kind of stuff is about, yeah.”
Lamb, who also spent time as a teammate of Walker while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, said the facility can provide more than just learning about the game of basketball.
“They're gonna, you know, teach life principles, you know, teach young boys and young girls to become men and women,” Lamb said. “That, that can help society, can help the world because that's what we need right now.”
On Saturday and Sunday, the facility was the host of the Kemba Walker Invitational featuring high school and fourth-through-eighth grade boy basketball teams from around the region. As a surprise at the end of the opening ceremony, Walker had his Charlotte Hornets jersey placed in the rafters.
