Kyree Walker: Judge Me For My Actions Not My Talent
Kyree Walker - Hillcrest Prep High School – Class of 2020 – Chameleon BX
Growing up in Atlanta, GA, Kyree Walker quickly became one of the top AAU basketball players in the nation. But like many top recruits, he also faced greater judgment based on his athletic makeup rather than his personal one. That only grew when he and his family moved to the competitive basketball landscape in California where Walker, his parents, and twelve year-old sister, Morgan, now reside.
As a child, Walker was a social, but not popular kid. He felt early on that he was trying to figure out where he belonged. “My personality stood out and I got picked on because of it,” he recalls. “I was looking for something where I fit in and had no idea basketball would be that thing.” His family knew he was special, however, and they did everything they could to support him once he figured it out.
His father, Khari, a Culinary Arts School graduate, currently coaches and trains other high school players. He made the move from the Bay Area to Phoenix back in 2017 in order for his son to attend Hillcrest Prep, one of the nation's top high school basketball prep academies. It’s a level of commitment Kyree is used to seeing from his father when it comes to following his dream. Says Kyree, “My dad and I have been on this road forever, all the pit stops, tire blow outs, gas refills.” He taught him right from wrong along the way and to always be himself, not someone who others want him to be.
Kyree’s mother, Barrissa Gardner, is a stay-at-home mom. Although some may call her his step-mother, Kyree knows she’s more than that. She’s his mom. She’s been a pillar of support before he even picked up a ball and she’s shown him what it’s like to be a strong person. With such a close relationship, it shouldn’t be surprising that it was a rough time for Kyree when his mother was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. Add in the fact that he had lost his grandfather three months before the diagnosis and it certainly took a toll on him. Thankfully, Barrissa was declared cancer free later that year. Yet, there was some value in going through that trial at such an early age: Kyree used it as motivation to get better at his craft for both himself and his family. When expanding upon his relationship with his mom, he refers back to a “contract” he had with her and his dad when he turned 7. The contract said “I will go back to college after my first season in the NBA. I signed it and so did my parents. When she brought it up recently, I thought she was joking, but she still has it.” It shows just how long she’s been supporting his dreams while also teaching him the value of keeping your word.
Kyree spent the early part of his childhood balancing his love for football and basketball. He had the lineage for both. His grandfather, Ron Walker, played tight end and wide receiver in the NFL. Because of that, he says, “I thought I was going to be an NFL player. I still wonder what could have been if I continued playing football. I know I’ve got good hands, and the speed to outrun guys down the field.” Yet that mindset changed when he turned 7. Recounts Kyree: “It was Thanksgiving and my cousin, Jerryd Bayless, who had a long career in the NBA, was playing in his first game in the league. I remember thinking, man, I want to be like my cousin and told everyone I’m going to play in the NBA.” At that point, it was only a concept based on his admiration for his cousin. Kyree admits, “now I know how much work it really takes to get there and every day I work harder”.
Bayless wasn’t the only NBA player who influenced Walker. There was also a young LeBron James. Walker’s father and grandmother are both from Cleveland, Ohio. LeBron was entering the prime of his career and attending an AAU tournament in Vegas. Kyree was a fifth grader, standing courtside, and James asked him if he was playing in the next game. He said yes and struck up a conversation. It was brief and they shook hands and parted ways, but Kyree still remembers it vividly. He knew who James was at the time, but didn’t fully grasp how rare it was to get the opportunity to interact with the Miami Heat superstar. He does now. That year Walker was still playing both basketball and football. Soon thereafter, however, he stopped playing football entirely and focused solely on basketball.
For Kyree, the energy that the crowd at State Farm Arena, where his hometown Atlanta Hawks played was palpable. Says Kyree, “The crowd brought so much excitement to the game and I knew I wanted to be part of that.” That’s when he met former Cavalier Mo Williams and former Hawk Josh Smith. They gave him some advice and told him to remember this moment. Only a few years later, he played for Smith’s AAU team. Looking back, he can now appreciate how lucky he was to get that opportunity. “Look at me now,” he says, “I didn’t think LeBron would even remember me years later, but now when I see him I dap him up and we have a conversation. When one of your role models acknowledges you like that, it’s hard not to use that as inspiration for the future.”
Kyree’s goal-oriented mindset sometimes makes life challenging. Sacrificing time with his friends isn’t ideal, but he knows his true friends will understand. Says Kyree, “I know some of their goals are different from mine like partying late and that’s fine, but I have to train in the morning. If you don’t understand that then that’s not a friendship that I’ll keep. But if you stay loyal and I trust you, I’ll never turn my back on you.” Among the friendships he values are those with former Hillcrest teammates Devin Cambridge and K.J. Hymes. Both, he says, “are tied to [him] forever and always look out for [him].”
He’s built those strong relationships through memorable experiences on the court. Recounts Kyree, “it was my sophomore year and senior night. We played hard, but lost. Everybody was upset about the loss, but we went out after as a team and had fun knowing it was the last time we’d all play together. We’ll never forget that night.” Another came in his junior year. He recounts “it was our last game of the season. The gym was packed. We played a South Carolina team and they started with an 11-0 lead. I called a time out, gathered the team together and said if we play together we won’t lose. And we didn’t.”
These experiences led to a long and hectic recruiting trail for Kyree. High major school offers came early. There was even a point right before he reopened his recruitment where he received 9 offers in 24 hours. When asked about what that was like, he laughed and said, “I was grateful for the offers and enjoyed the ride, but don’t miss the phone calls and texts at night. Growing up,” he admits “the University of Arizona was my dream school.” Yet as time went by he grew fonder of in-state rival Arizona State, eventually committing during his sophomore year. “I felt at home at ASU,” he recalls. “James Harden went there. He’s my big bro. I felt like I could be a player there. Then certain events happened with my family [alluding to his mother’s diagnosis], and [I] felt I had to decommit and reconsider my options.” He doesn’t regret that choice or any others since. Thankfully, he’s had a strong support system in his parents who’ve always told him: “It’s your choice. Do it for you not for us.” He’s also had some extra foundational support from Gonzaga’s Dominick Harris who Kyree says he can “lean on for anything,” and 2021 recruit Frankie Collins, “who understands what [he’s] going through.”
His coaches have also provided crucial guidance. Moreau Catholic Head Coach Frank Knight was one of them. Says Kyree, “I had a lot of hype in Oakland, a lot of weight on my shoulders. Coach Knight was incredible at giving advice when I needed it and knowing how to deliver it. I just sat there and took in everything he told me.” Hillcrest Head Coach Howard Thomas offered similar encouragement. Kyree detailed, “he preached a lot of things, and knew how to get the best out of me. That man has a lot of wisdom to give.”
He’s put that wisdom into action in his training and in life. Now, after a bad game, he won’t think negatively. He’ll regroup, think of positive ways to improve himself, and get back to work. He applies that same mentality off the court. “I can’t go back in life to change a mistake,” he says, “so the only thing I can do is move on.” He knows that with more publicity, there could be more pressure. Yet for him, “pressure breaks pipes and it’ll never be an issue.” He’s not trying to prove anyone wrong. He’s trying to prove himself right.
“I can’t go back in life to change a mistake, so the only thing I can do is move on.”
That’s why he’s not worried about his next venture at BX Chameleon, a training platform for elite high school basketball players to get prepared for the NBA. He’s already looking forward to interacting with teammates at BX, “working 100 times harder” because it’s his “job now.” He also wants to develop personally and continue to mature as he trains. The individuality-based program will be difficult, but he’s willing to work for his dream. If he couldn’t fulfill that dream, he’d venture into golfing, something he and his dad could bond over.
For Kyree, building supportive relationships is vital. He’s been doing it since he was a kid. Once people get to know him, he’s hoping they see his authenticity. He knows that a lot of people judge him based on his athletic decisions. “Nobody ever talks to me just to get to know me, so they have a lot of preconceptions about who I am.” He’s not defined by his relationships with NBA players or rappers like Drake, Young Thug, and Lil Baby. He’s just a guy that likes to hang out with his friends in Target, play Mario Kart, and grab lunch at Chick Fil-A. He’s the guy that chooses to compete in a Call of Duty tournament instead of going out to a party. He’s the guy that instinctively puts on his left sock before his right before every game. It’s those small things that define him, not his talent on the court.
Among the more significant things that define him is his affinity for helping kids out. “I never had anything handed to me,” says Kyree. “I had to work to get to where I am now. But kids do need a boost sometimes, even if it’s just mentally.” That’s why, while still at Hillcrest, he took a day to buy and deliver backpacks to kids at a school in Arizona. “I saw how happy they were,” he recounts. “No one did that for me, but it was great seeing smiles on their faces. I don’t do things like that for me, I do it because I know it feels good to other people.” For Kyree, it’s those moments that matter. It’s those moments that he’ll remember when his basketball career is over. It’s those moments he wants to be judged by.