Bobcats pick UConn's Walker No. 9 overall

NEWARK -- While growing up in the Soundview section of the Bronx, Kemba Walker always had an affinity for dancing. He used that rhythm and balance to develop into a star guard who led Connecticut to the national championship last season.

After the Bobcats drafted him ninth overall Thursday night, Walker broke down in tears during his interview with ESPN. "I told myself I was going to hold it in," he said. "But I couldn't. A lot of kids grow up dreaming of playing in the NBA. Here I am."

Walker grew up in the Sack-Wern Houses in the South Bronx with his parents, Paul and Andrea. He suffered from asthma through his adolescence, but it didn't hinder his bubbly personality or the million-watt smile that gleamed often Thursday night.

Before becoming the darling of the 2011 NCAA Tournament -- the 6-1, 172-pounder was named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four and averaged 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a junior this past season -- Walker starred at Rice High in Harlem. He earned the nickname "EZ Pass'' because of his ability to drive the lane without slowing.

Emanuel "Book" Richardson, an assistant at Arizona, coached Walker with the New York Gauchos AAU team in 2007.

"People laugh, but I really think his creativity as a dancer helped his creativity between the lines," Richardson said. "He was really elusive; he was herky-jerky. He had things that you just couldn't teach."

Walker also represents the end of an era for Rice, which last month announced plans to close. He shook his head at the fortune of being picked by Charlotte, where his sister and grandmother live.

When asked what he would spend his first check on, a beaming Walker didn't hesitate.

"On my parents," he said. "I want them to spend it on whatever they want. They deserve it."