NEW YORK — The welcome to New York signs adorning the exterior of Madison Square Garden and hanging behind it were cute, if unnecessary.
Kimba Walker No introduction needed here.
He is originally from New York and performed at Madison Square Garden in high school and made an unforgettable sound at the historic Big East Championships while playing in Connecticut.
Now he can see what he can do playing there with the New York Knicks.
“It would be better,” Walker said. “Ten times better.”
The Knicks held a press conference on Tuesday to announce Walker’s additions and Evan Fournier, his teammate last season with the Boston Celtics acquired under a signing and trade deal.
Fournier, like many in the NBA, called Madison Square Garden his favorite watch. But few players – Knicks or otherwise – can match Walker’s story on the spot.
The video montage featured before the press conference began included Walker’s tiered jump to beat Pittsburgh in the 2011 Big East quarterfinals, when he led the Mummies to a stunning five-game winning streak in five days.
“It was just a private race,” Walker said.
They went on to win the NCAA Championship with Walker being the most featured player. He went on to play eight seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and believed there was a chance to sign the Knicks in 2019 as a free agent before going to Boston instead.
Now, a decade after setting the arena on fire, the arena has lit up with its image.
“I think everything is perfect,” Walker said. “Excellent timing.”
It happened after the Celtics traded him for Oklahoma City in June. Walker agreed to a buyout deal so he could sign elsewhere, although he said the Knicks were his only option.
At 31, a 6-foot-1 player may not be the same as a player who averages 19.9 points and has been selected for four all-star games. He has suffered from knee pain in each of the past two seasons, although he said on Tuesday he was now in relief.
Regardless, his signing was popular in New York City, where the Knicks had long been looking for a ranger and might have finally found one in town. Walker was besieged with messages from friends, former coaches and others after the news that he was going to be Nick.
“I was planning on telling everyone I only have four tickets,” Walker joked to a small crowd at MSG that included his mother and sister.
Fournier accepted a four-year contract worth around $ 78 million in Tokyo, where he was France’s top scorer at the Olympics. The French beat the United States in their opener and lost to them in the final, tying their best with a silver medal.
The forward averaged 17.1 points last season for Orlando and Boston and should give a punch to the Knicks who defended well under Tom Tebodeau but were looking for more offense in the offseason.
Fournier spoke to Thibodeau during the tournament, where the coach not only courted the player but also told him about the trash, telling Fournier that after winning the money he should come to New York and talk.
“Unfortunately, that’s what happened,” Fournier said, even though he knew the Knicks were his destination at the time.
“It was clear to me that New York would be the right team for me,” he said.
The Knicks announced Tuesday that they had acquired Fournier as well as two second-round picks for monetary considerations.
They were hoping for that at some point Frank Ntelikina, Fournier’s teammate with the France team, could be the main solution. But Phil Jackson’s last lottery pick before being ousted as Knicks president never developed and the search continued.
This led them to Walker, who was on vacation when he learned he had been sent to Oklahoma City.
The holidays are over. Now he’s home.
“I can’t describe in words how amazing it is to be at home,” Walker said.
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