EXCLUSIVE: Jordan ‘Jelly’ Walker Talks Mavs Training Camp, Idolizing Kyrie Irving
After going undrafted, Jordan “Jelly” Walker made the most of his opportunity with the Dallas Mavericks at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In four games, Walker ended up being the Mavs’ second-leading scorer behind second-year guard Jaden Hardy, averaging 13 points and shooting an eye-popping 48.1 percent on 6.8 attempts from deep per game.
Now, Walker will have another chance to impress the Mavs, this time in training camp, as he hopes to work his way up from an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way contract before the season begins.
On Wednesday, Walker joined our Mavs Step Back Podcast to talk about becoming a "girl dad" last week, his promising Summer League play, idolizing Kyrie Irving and now getting to compete with him at Mavs training camp, his mindset as he aims for that last two-way contract the Mavs have, other players he's molded his game after, and much more.
"The first person that comes to mind ... to me, my favorite player, Kyrie Irving," Walker said when asked about other players he's looked up to and tried to mold his game after. "Everybody who knows me, knows he's my favorite player. I've been a fan of him since I was probably 10 years old."
Walker was able to formally connect with his childhood idol in Las Vegas about two weeks ago, but Irving already knew who he was and was very familiar with his game from a pro-am tournament from two years ago.
"The first time I actually met [Kyrie] in person, I was playing in some pro-am [league] in New Jersey two years ago," Walker said. "He was coaching the other team while I was playing against his team. ... He said, 'I know who you are, Mr. Player of the Year, I know who you are.' When he said that, I was like 'he really knows who I am.' That was a surreal moment for me."
You can watch or listen to our entire 30-minute interview with Walker below. We will have even more on DallasBasketball.com in the coming days.
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