After being involved in a blockbuster trade on NBA Draft night, we find out more about Kemba Walker’s girlfriend Marissa, an R&B artist from Atlanta.
Kemba Walker first made a name for himself on the national stage after his incredible run with the Connecticut Huskies.
The New Yorker led the Huskies to the 2011 NCAA championship and was named Most Outstanding Player.
Walker was picked ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2011 NBA draft. He went on to become a four-time NBA All-Star.
However, in recent seasons Walker has struggled for consistency, bouncing from Charlotte to the Celtics and most recently the New York Knicks.
Walker traded in draft night deal
The 2022 NBA Draft took place in Brooklyn last night (24 June). While the draft primarily sees the brightest young college and overseas players entering the league, it’s also a night for plenty of trades.
The first blockbuster trade of the 2022 NBA Draft involved Kemba Walker, who was involved in a dramatic three-team trade.
Per ESPN, the Detroit Pistons acquired Kemba from the Knicks as part of a three-team trade involving the Charlotte Hornets that also saw Detroit acquire the draft rights to Jalen Duren.
However, the Pistons won’t be keeping Walker for long as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the two sides are expected to discuss a contract buyout that would allow Walker to become a free agent.
Kemba played in 37 games last season with New York. He averaged 11.6 points and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 40.3 per cent from the floor.
Meet Kemba Walker’s girlfriend Marissa
The New York Post reports Kemba Walker’s girlfriend is ‘Marissa’, an Atlanta R&B artist who’s been linked to the former Knick since around November 2021.
The couple appeared to go Instagram official during Kemba’s recent 32nd birthday.
“Happy Birthday My Love, there’s no one like you,” Marissa wrote on Instagram, tagging Walker’s handle. Marissa shared a number of other images of the couple cosying up together.
What we know about Marissa
Marissa is an Atlanta-based singer-songwriter with more than 123k followers on Instagram. In 2018 she released her highly anticipated debut EP, This Is Me, which was entirely written by her. Previously she was signed to Columbia Records and reportedly spent two years on the label before separating and going independent.
“After previously being signed to Columbia records and not releasing music for a couple of years, I was hesitant to release my first EP as an independent artist,” Marissa said via Singers Room.
“However, I felt very confident in this body of work. It’s like my baby, it’s a milestone. It’s a start to a new becoming of me as an artist and as a woman.”
Music has always been her passion
In a 2019 Q&A, Marissa said music was always her passion and she grew up in a musical family. Her mother would sing all day and also dreamed of one day becoming a singer.
After graduating from high school, Marissa started working with a local music executive where she recorded her first record.
In 2020 she released dramatic R&B tune Fall 4 Me, produced by OG Parker. Her most recent singles are Not Like This and Everything, which are available to download on all major streaming platforms.
Not Like This currently has more than 237k views on her YouTube channel:
