Kenny Walker grew up in the town of Roberta (Crawford county), Georgia.  He was the youngest son of Jerome & Ola Walker.  Kenny began his honing his basketball skills at the young age of 5 years old.  His mother cut the bottom out of a bucket and nailed it to a tree in their yard for Kenny to use as a basketball goal.  Kenny would spend endless hours shooting the basketball through his homemade goal.  His mother would often refer to his shooting skills by saying “He can ring it”.  While growing up in the presence of 3 older brothers, Kenny received countless hours of drilling and training from his older brothers.  Jerome Walker, the 2^nd to the oldest, would practice with Kenny and would explain different techniques and moves to Kenny.  On the other hand, when Lewis Walker, the brother closest in age to Kenny, would play with Kenny, he would push, hold, and foul Kenny and then talk rough with Kenny.  While Kenny would get upset, this training proved to be valuable as Kenny progressed throughout his career.  Through this time with Lewis, Kenny learned to ignore what others said and how to not lose his temper.  Kenny always focused on the game. 

    Kenny played basketball at Crawford County High School for Coach Clyde Zachery.  Kenny stood out among all the other players, not only physically, but by his dedication to the game.  Kenny continued to practice at least 45 minutes after practice was over.  After winning their 2^nd straight state championship, Kenny asked the coach to have the gym open the next day so he could practice.  Coach Zachery handed Kenny the keys.  When it came time for Kenny to graduate, Kenny told his coach he wanted to play for Kentucky.  His coach replied that they played big-time ball in Kentucky and asked if Kenny thought he could play there.  Kenny replied “I can play anywhere.”

    Kenny made an immediate impact at the University of Kentucky.  As a freshman in the 1982-83 season, Kenny played in all 31 games for UK, starting in three of them. He averaged 7.3 ppg and 4.9 rpg. He was named SEC freshman-of-the-year by several polls. He scored what was then a career-high 23 points against Mississippi State on Feb. 8, 1983 and led the team in rebounding nine times.

    During his sophomore campaign, he started all but one of the games for the Wildcats. He was named to several preseason All-American teams. He played almost twice as many minutes as he did his freshman year, leading the team with 32 minutes a game. He finished the year averaging 12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and led the team with 31 steals.

    As a junior, Kenny became an All-American. He was named to the first team All-American team by Basketball Weekly and received many other All-American honors. He was also named as the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.  His scoring average and rebounding average almost doubled to 22.9 ppg and 10.2 rpg while he just played 4 minutes per game more than his sophomore year. He became only the 32^nd player in Kentucky history to pass the 1,000-point mark. He scored more than 30 points on five occasions with a career high of 36 against Kansas on New Year’s Eve. He made 218 free throws, which still remains a Kentucky record. His 254 free throws attempted is also a UK record.

    Kenny’s senior year ended with him becoming only the third UK player to pass the 2,000-point mark. He averaged 20.0 points a game, giving him 2,080 points in his career, which is good enough for second on the all-time list. The season saw him once again grab SEC Player of the Year honors, plus All-American honors from several outlets. He was named as national Player of the Year in a poll by ESPN. In the NCAA Tournament, he shot a perfect 11-11 from the field against Western Kentucky, which still holds as a single game record for FG% (min. 10 attempts). Known as an offensive machine, Kenny was a do-it-all player on both ends of the court. He led the team in rebounds (7.7 per game), blocked shots (43), taking charges, and was third in steals.

    Off the court, Kenny made a big impact in the community. He made numerous appearances and speaking engagements at various functions such as the Special Olympics, charity runs and youth banquets. He visited children in hospitals and telephoned birthday greetings to shut-ins.

    Following his senior year, Kenny entered the 1986 NBA Draft.  The expectations were high for Kenny.  When the New York Knicks selected Kenny in the first round, the expectations grew even more.  As the fifth overall pick, Kenny was essentially selected to fill the shoes of Bernard King, the 30 points-per-game All-Star who had recently tore his ACL and would be out for two years.

    During training camp, Kenny discovered that his body was beginning to fail him.  He would cramp up a lot, and sometimes would have to be taken to the hospital.

    The first few years in the NBA were tough for Kenny.  The Knicks went through 5 coaches in 5 years.  It wasn't until the arrival of Rick Pitino, a future Kentucky Wildcats coach, that Kenny would begin to enjoy himself on the court.  The fast-paced style of Pitino was perfect for Kenny.

    Early in 1989, Kenny would learn of the death of his father.  He had died of a stroke a mere 3 days before Kenny was to compete in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Competition.  At the urging of his mother, Kenny competed and blew away the opponents with his aerial display of creativity.

    In the first home game following the All-Star weekend, Coach Pitino entered Kenny in the starting line-up, giving New York fans an opportunity to honor him.  The standing ovation for Kenny proved to him that the fans didn't want him to be Bernard King anymore.  They looked at him differently now and finally accepted him as Kenny Walker.

    In the months that followed, Kenny began to see that the skills that had given him his notoriety were causing him injury.  The hazard of being such a great leaper is that the constant crashing to the ground takes its toll on the knees.  These injuries, coupled with the addition to the Knick roster of Kiki Vandeweghe further limited his playing time.

    When Kenny was 27, he joined the ACB, (Association Clubs Baloncesto) league in Madrid, Spain.  It was here that he would recover from the nagging injuries.  Kenny was able to showcase his skills for the Spanish fans, winning the slam dunk contest over there.

    A year later, Kenny came back to the NBA, signing with the Washington Bullets.  But like the Knicks, the Bullets were in a state of flux.  He played part of two seasons there and it would turn out to be his final NBA team.

    Kenny went to Japan to play in the JBL, but by then his signature style was hampered by the constant wear-and-tear on his knees.  He was unable to alter his game enough to continue his career.