AUBURN, Ala. – Between serving as honorary mic man and his on-field Auburn-Made recognition, Walker Kessler reflected Saturday on his season on the Plains and how it prepared him for NBA stardom.
"It's so good to be home," Kessler said. "The Auburn fanbase is second to none. It's unbelievable."
After leading Auburn to the 2022 SEC regular-season championship and the program's first No. 1 ranking, Kessler was named the National Defensive Player of the Year.
Selected by Memphis in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, Kessler was traded first to Minnesota then to Utah, where he earned All-Rookie First Team honors in 2022-23.
"Auburn prepared me well," said Kessler, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. "Play hard and try to win. It worked out."
After his standout rookie season, Kessler earned an invitation to play for the 2023 USA Men's National Team this summer in the FIBA World Cup.
"It was unbelievable," Kessler said of the tournament in the Philippines. "Wearing the U.S. flag, I had so much pride. It was like a dream. Representing your country and the people back home, it was a lot of fun."
Walker Kessler, honorary mic man
Weeks away from tipping off his second NBA season with the Jazz, Kessler focuses on the practice habits that helped him achieve stardom.
"I'm someone who gets lost in the process," he said. "I'm just going to keep continuing to get better, never stagnate and keep doing me."
Throughout the 82-game NBA season, Kessler keeps tabs on the Tigers, which include his former Auburn teammates K.D. Johnson, Jaylin Williams, Dylan Cardwell, Chris Moore and Lior Berman.
"All the way. I'm an Auburn Tiger," said Kessler, gesturing to the 88,043 fans filling Jordan-Hare Stadium. "It's hard not to be when you've got a place like this."
Minutes before the kickoff of Auburn's 45-13 Homecoming victory over Samford, Kessler received loud cheers when he jogged onto Pat Dye Field with the cheerleaders to shout "War Eagle!"
"I was just praying I didn't trip or have my voice crack," Kessler said. "It went well so I'm happy."
Kessler credits head coach Bruce Pearl along with Auburn's assistant coaches, staff and fans for helping launch him toward greatness.
"The Auburn family instilled so much belief into me," Kessler said. "BP and the coaching staff, I love them to death. More than just a coach, they're great men, great people around the whole program. It's a great day to be an Auburn Tiger on the Plains."
'It's a great day to be an Auburn Tiger'
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
