Former NBA Star Kemba Walker Agrees to Contract with French League's AS Monaco

Four-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker is going to keep his professional career going in France.

It was announced Friday that Walker has officially signed with AS Monaco of the EuroLeague and LNB Pro A.

Walker spent last season with the Dallas Mavericks, though he only appeared in nine games before being waived on Jan. 6.

The 33-year-old went unsigned for the remainder of the season. He told The Athletic's Jared Weiss in March that retirement wasn't on his radar.

"I love basketball. I'm not ready to stop playing yet," Walker said. "Wherever the wind takes me."

Knee injuries have slowed down Walker in recent years. Since playing all 82 regular-season games for the Charlotte Hornets in 2018-19, he appeared in 145 games over the past four seasons combined.

Walker had a stem cell injection in his left knee prior to the start of the 2020-21 season that required a 12-week strengthening program. He was effective in 43 starts for the Boston Celtics that season, averaging 19.3 points while shooting 36.0 percent from three-point range.

The Celtics traded Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder in June 2021, who waived him two months later. He then signed with the New York Knicks and appeared in 37 games in 2021-22, but was limited by knee soreness before the two sides agreed to shut him down for the remainder of the season in February 2022.

Given the issues Walker has had with his knees in recent years, his time in the NBA might be over. Going overseas gives him the opportunity to still play high-level basketball against quality competition, though.

Monaco opens the 2023-24 season on Sept. 16 against CSP Limoges. The club won the 2022-23 LNB Pro A title and finished third in EuroLeague.