Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsThursday, June 25, 2026

Kemba Walker Has Only Read One Book Ever

From this week's Sports Illustrated cover story on Kemba Walker:

↵↵In [Walker’s] travel pack is a copy of New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden’s Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete, a book that Crump encouraged Walker to read as part of an independent study class on racism in sports. Before the Final Four, Crump suggested that Rhoden’s book would be the first that Walker had ever made it through cover-to-cover. After the win over Kentucky, Walker confirmed this. “That’s true,” he said. “You can write that. It is the first book I’ve ever read.”

↵↵Get worked up and start pumping your arms about the student-athlete and kids these days if you like, but Walker got millions of dollars worth of life-preparation out of his time at UConn and evidently grew academically. Or just note the “cover-to-cover” distinction, which clearly implies Kemba makes a habit of stopping one page short in each of the many books he reads every year, just to preserve the mystery for all time.

More in NBA

NBA
NBA Draft results: Pick-by-pick tracker for all 60 selections in 2026 classNBA Draft results: Pick-by-pick tracker for all 60 selections in 2026 class
NBA

Keeping track of every pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

By Ricky O'Donnell
NBA
NBA Draft grades: 8 ‘A’ picks from 2026 first-roundNBA Draft grades: 8 ‘A’ picks from 2026 first-round
NBA

These teams nailed their picks in the first round.

By James Dator
NBA
NBA Draft’s 5 biggest winners and 3 losers from 2026 picksNBA Draft’s 5 biggest winners and 3 losers from 2026 picks
NBA

The Bulls, Lakers, and Warriors are among this year’s winners and losers from the NBA Draft.

By Ricky O'Donnell
NBA
NBA Draft instant grades for every 2026 first-round pickNBA Draft instant grades for every 2026 first-round pick
NBA

Let’s grade every first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

By Ricky O'Donnell
From SBNationExternal Link
Vote: Did the Heat give up too much for Giannis?Vote: Did the Heat give up too much for Giannis?
From SBNationExternal Link
By Ricky O'Donnell