Walker Kessler Goes Viral After Girlfriend Wins Miss America
Jan 7, 2025, 1:33 PM | Updated: Jan 8, 2025, 10:59 am
SALT LAKE CITY – Walker Kessler has gone viral after he posted a video of his reaction to girlfriend Abbie Stockard being named Miss America.
The video captures Kessler sitting with Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy in a state of shock as Stockard, Miss Alabama, wins the Miss America crown.
Kessler originally posted the video on his Instagram page, but the clip has since gone viral with multiple national outlets sharing his reaction.
Walker Kessler watching his girlfriend Abbie Stockard win Miss America while at dinner with Will Hardy is unbelievable content.
(🎥 Kessler’s IG)#TakeNote | @utahjazz pic.twitter.com/1J8ZssN2iE
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 7, 2025
Walker Kessler Reacts To Girlfriend Winning Miss America
Kessler and Stockard have been a couple dating back to the 2023-24 NBA season, though the two had largely remained out of the limelight.
While Kessler was playing for the Jazz, Stockard was attending Auburn University where she was a cheerleader, and pursuing a career as a nurse anesthetist specializing in pediatrics.
The video, captured in a Florida hotel shortly after the Jazz beat the Orlando Magic pans from a closeup of a phone to Kessler and Hardy watching anxiously as the Miss America results are about to be announced.
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Both Kessler and Hardy have their hands on their mouths as they await the winning announcement.
When Stockard won, Kessler dropped his phone in a moment of pure shock, removing his hat and standing in awe of the results.
Kessler and Hardy hug to celebrate the victory as the Jazz center struggled to regain his composure.
As of Tuesday afternoon, less than 48 hours after the announcement, Kessler’s Instagram post recognizing the reaction had over 100,000 likes on Instagram.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
