Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker now has a former Charlotte sports star in New England with him.
Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is the newest big time athlete to come to the area, as he signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Walker, who played his first eight NBA seasons in Charlotte, spoke to reporters Wednesday about wanting to support Newton in the upcoming football season, presuming it goes on as scheduled amid the threat of COVID-19. Walker is currently the Charlotte Hornets’ all-time leading scorer, pouring in 12,009 points with the franchise.
“New beginnings, obviously, and I know the fans out here, they’re going to love him a lot,” Walker said, per Nicole Yang of Boston.com. “I’m looking forward to, you know, hopefully when the world opens back up, getting out there to a game and supporting. It’s exciting news.”
More Kemba: "New beginnings, obviously, and I know the fans out here, they're going to love him a lot. I'm looking forward to, you know, hopefully when the world opens back up, getting out there to a game and supporting. It's exciting news."
— Nicole Yang (@nicolecyang) July 1, 2020
Newton played his first nine NFL seasons with the Panthers, but injuries have surrounded his career and particularly hampered his play last season. He played two games, as he had a lingering foot injury that placed him on injured reserve during November 2019, per Patrik Walker of CBS.
According to ESPN’s David Newton, he had foot surgery in December. The Panthers released Cam Newton in March, per David Newton.
This Cam Newton play will always be legendary 🔥 @brgridiron
(via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/jK1g8ipJ3H
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 29, 2020
As the 2015 NFL MVP, Newton has a chance to reboot his career in New England and perhaps return to the Super Bowl. He and the Panthers lost Super Bowl 50 in 2016 against the Denver Broncos.
With Walker leading the Celtics, New England remains in good hands with its athletes. The Celtics are currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference, and their first seeding game in Orlando will be against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 31.
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