Why this homecoming is different for Kemba Walker and the New York Knicks

KEMBA WALKER’S FIRST basket in a New York Knicks uniform was a simple one.

A couple minutes into New York’s preseason opener at Madison Square Garden against the Indiana Pacers, Walker had the ball at the top of the key. He then executed a give-and-go with Julius Randle, darted around a Taj Gibson screen and casually laid the ball in over the arms of Pacers center Myles Turner.

As Walker ran back on defense, he flashed a quick smile toward the Knicks’ bench. It was the culmination of a moment the Bronx native — and lifelong Knicks fan — had spent so much time dreaming about.

“It’s the most unreal feeling,” Walker, a 31-year-old veteran who was a first-round draft pick in 2011, said during his introductory news conference in August. “Like, I can’t really explain it. I can’t really put it into words how amazing this feeling is being back home.”

Walker’s history as a New York basketball legend — first starring at Rice High School, then going on to author unforgettable moments at Madison Square Garden while playing at the University of Connecticut — is something New Yorkers know all too well.

“It’s meaningful because of the fact he’s from here,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau told ESPN. “Who Kemba is as a person I think is reflective of the city. Basketball is really important to this city and the Knicks are really important, and I think Kemba embodies what that is all about.

“He’s a fierce, fierce competitor, and I think there’s an appreciation here for how hard you play, how smart you play, how willing you are to be a good teammate and that is what Kemba has done throughout his career.”

The Knicks are a franchise that, for practically this entire millennium, has chased one dramatic storyline after another. From Stephon Marbury to Larry Brown to Amar’e Stoudemire to Carmelo Anthony to Phil Jackson, the team that makes its home inside The World’s Most Famous Arena has made splashy moves in hopes of returning to the glory days of the…