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False report surrounding Walker causes drama overseas

Dallas Mavericks guard Kemba Walker. Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

False report surrounding Kemba Walker causes drama overseas

By Colum Dell | Last updated 1/16/23

Kemba Walker may not be as relevant as he once was in the public eye, but he was recently making global waves.

According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, Walker is focusing on securing an NBA contract after it was reported over the weekend that the four-time All-Star was heading to the EuroLeague.

In the United States, the false report barely made headlines. However, overseas, it sparked a fierce media battle.

On Saturday, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, or Olympia Milano, was finalizing a deal with Walker.

Aris Barkas, the chief editor of the Greek-based website EuroHoops, later released a conflicting report to the Gazzetta's, claiming multiple sources could dispute it.

Despite reports from Italian media about a deal between Milan and Kemba Walker, per Eurohoops sources things are totally different. There's no contact between the two sides and Milan has not yet decided if they will add a player due to Kevin Pangos injury. More at @Eurohoopsnet
— Aris Barkas (@arbarkas) January 14, 2023

In their Sunday newspaper, the Gazzetta doubled down on the signing, and at the time, it was still unclear which report was accurate.

Kemba Walker-Milano, gli ultimi aggiornamenti su ⁦@Gazzetta_it⁩. La trattativa continua pic.twitter.com/IfjEizFucN
— Davide Chinellato (@dchinellato) January 15, 2023

Milan HC Ettore Messina addressed the rumors following his team's win on Sunday.

He had no comment regarding a Walker signing. However, he criticized the Gazzetta's handling of the situation, "Ask the Gazzetta who launched this novelty without even making a phone call to us. Evidently, they just read [about it] on Twitter and wrote an article."

Another website, Sportske, reports that Walker was in contact with the team but failed a medical screening. It would not be surprising if the Gazzetta heard about the reported physical and assumed a deal was coming.

Walker, 32, has been hampered by a lingering knee issue from a 2020 injury with the Boston Celtics. Before last season, Boston traded him to the Thunder, who cut him, and he then signed with his hometown Knicks.

The knee injury still affected him, so he was shut down after 37 games to try and make a comeback on another team this season.

In November, Walker signed with the Dallas Mavericks, making nine appearances. A vintage 32-point outburst against Cleveland highlights his short stint with Dallas, but he was waived on Jan. 6 before his contract became fully guaranteed.

Since no NBA team appears interested in Walker, his current career stats might be his final. Over 12 seasons, Walker averages 19.3 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Perhaps Walker will consider a EuroLeague career if he doesn't get his NBA deal. Given the recent buzz, he would undoubtedly be one of the most prominent names overseas.

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