Jimmy Walker (basketball)
Encyclopedia
James "Jimmy" Walker was an American
professional basketball
player. A 6'3" (1.90 m) guard, he played nine seasons (1967–1976) in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons
, Houston Rockets
, and Kansas City Kings
. Walker was a two-time All-Star
who scored 11,655 points in his career. He was also the father of former NBA player Jalen Rose
, though he left Rose's mother prior to his birth and took no part in the child's upbringing. Walker died on July 2, 2007, at the age of 63, from complications related to lung cancer
.
. He starred at Boston Trade High School, and was noticed in the schoolyards by Celtics
' star Sam Jones
. Jones took an interest in the 6'3" teenager, and steered the average student to his own alma mater, Laurinburg Institute
, a Black preparatory school in North Carolina once attended by Dizzy Gillespie
. At Laurinburg, Walker improved his grades. It was when his cousin was being recruited by Providence College
, that he told then-Coach Joe Mullaney, "You should see my cousin Jimmy".
At Providence, Walker's game (much as that of Michigan star Cazzie Russell) was compared to that of the premier player of the era, Cincinnati Royals
superstar Oscar Robertson
. Walker averaged 23 points as a junior, and led the nation with 30 a game as a senior. His high point total of 50 came vs. Coach Bob Cousy
's Boston College
team, and he was named MVP of the prestigious Holiday Festival Tournament in Madison Square Garden
. He was also one of the first college players to use the between-the-legs dribble.
The Friars were ranked number three in the nation in Walker's sophomore year and despite suffering a 40-point blowout by Princeton in the Eastern Regional Finals, cursed by a horrid shooting performance and 41 points from Bill Bradley, a national championship seemed quite possible for the following season. The Friars were returning all five starters, including Bob Spencer and future NBA All-Star Mike Riordan
. But then the hoop gods turned away from Providence, when they lost Dexter Westbrook. The promising 6-foot-7 sophomore from the Big Apple was the team's starting center. He was a versatile and athletic talent, but the tough academic standards proved to be his downfall. He was forced out of school, and the Friars' chance at a title vanished.
Walker led the nation in scoring in his senior year, averaging 30 points a game, without the benefit of a three-point line
. Walker's 2,000-plus points led Providence for four decades, until his all-time scoring record was broken in 2005 by Ryan Gomes
. However Walker was able to accomplish this in only three seasons, since the freshman rule had not been in effect.
by the Detroit Pistons, the first year the NBA had abandoned its territorial draft (under the old draft, which granted an extra first round pick to be used on collegians within 100 miles of their professional team, Walker might have been selected by the Celtics and teamed with his mentor Sam Jones). He was also the final pick in the 1967 NFL Draft
by the New Orleans Saints
(the pick now known as Mr. Irrelevant
), despite never having played college football
.
Despite playing in two NBA All-Star games, Walker never reached his full potential as a pro, partly due to his weight gain. His game had been predicated on quickness. Nonetheless, he averaged 20.8 ppg. in 1969-70
, 21.3 in 1971-72, 19.8 in 1973-74
, and averaged almost 17 per game over a nine-year career. The numbers are all the more impressive when one considers that Walker teamed with star guards such as Dave Bing
in Detroit, and Nate Archibald
in Kansas City-Omaha.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. A 6'3" (1.90 m) guard, he played nine seasons (1967–1976) in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
, Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
, and Kansas City Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. Walker was a two-time All-Star
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
who scored 11,655 points in his career. He was also the father of former NBA player Jalen Rose
Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose is a retired American professional basketball player, who currently works as a sports analyst for the sports television network ESPN...
, though he left Rose's mother prior to his birth and took no part in the child's upbringing. Walker died on July 2, 2007, at the age of 63, from complications related to lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.
College career
Walker played basketball on the streets of Boston's Roxbury neighborhoodRoxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
. He starred at Boston Trade High School, and was noticed in the schoolyards by Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
' star Sam Jones
Sam Jones (basketball)
Samuel Jones is a retired American professional basketball player at shooting guard and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was known for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the NBA Playoffs...
. Jones took an interest in the 6'3" teenager, and steered the average student to his own alma mater, Laurinburg Institute
Laurinburg Institute
Laurinburg Institute is a traditionally black preparatory school in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The school was started in 1904 by Emmanuel Monty and Tinny McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington....
, a Black preparatory school in North Carolina once attended by Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
. At Laurinburg, Walker improved his grades. It was when his cousin was being recruited by Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
, that he told then-Coach Joe Mullaney, "You should see my cousin Jimmy".
At Providence, Walker's game (much as that of Michigan star Cazzie Russell) was compared to that of the premier player of the era, Cincinnati Royals
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
superstar Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
. Walker averaged 23 points as a junior, and led the nation with 30 a game as a senior. His high point total of 50 came vs. Coach Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy
Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'1" , 175-pound Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969–70 season...
's Boston College
Boston College Eagles men's basketball
The Boston College Eagles are a Division I college basketball program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. The team has competed in the ACC since 2005, having previously played in the Big East. Home games have been played at the Conte Forum since 1988, having previously been played...
team, and he was named MVP of the prestigious Holiday Festival Tournament in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. He was also one of the first college players to use the between-the-legs dribble.
The Friars were ranked number three in the nation in Walker's sophomore year and despite suffering a 40-point blowout by Princeton in the Eastern Regional Finals, cursed by a horrid shooting performance and 41 points from Bill Bradley, a national championship seemed quite possible for the following season. The Friars were returning all five starters, including Bob Spencer and future NBA All-Star Mike Riordan
Mike Riordan
Michael W. Riordan is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'4" guard/forward from Holy Cross High School and Providence College, Riordan played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks and Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets...
. But then the hoop gods turned away from Providence, when they lost Dexter Westbrook. The promising 6-foot-7 sophomore from the Big Apple was the team's starting center. He was a versatile and athletic talent, but the tough academic standards proved to be his downfall. He was forced out of school, and the Friars' chance at a title vanished.
Walker led the nation in scoring in his senior year, averaging 30 points a game, without the benefit of a three-point line
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
. Walker's 2,000-plus points led Providence for four decades, until his all-time scoring record was broken in 2005 by Ryan Gomes
Ryan Gomes
Ryan Anthony Gomes is an American professional basketball forward with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association....
. However Walker was able to accomplish this in only three seasons, since the freshman rule had not been in effect.
NBA career
Walker was selected number one overall in the 1967 NBA Draft1967 NBA Draft
The 1967 NBA Draft was the 21st annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 3, 1967 before the 1967–68 season. In this draft, 12 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility...
by the Detroit Pistons, the first year the NBA had abandoned its territorial draft (under the old draft, which granted an extra first round pick to be used on collegians within 100 miles of their professional team, Walker might have been selected by the Celtics and teamed with his mentor Sam Jones). He was also the final pick in the 1967 NFL Draft
1967 NFL Draft
The 1967 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft in the first year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players on March 14–15.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
(the pick now known as Mr. Irrelevant
Mr. Irrelevant
"Mr. Irrelevant" is the title bestowed each year upon the last pick of the annual National Football League draft.- Irrelevant Week :The name arose in 1976, when former Southern California and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded "Irrelevant Week" in Newport Beach, California. He announced the final...
), despite never having played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
.
Despite playing in two NBA All-Star games, Walker never reached his full potential as a pro, partly due to his weight gain. His game had been predicated on quickness. Nonetheless, he averaged 20.8 ppg. in 1969-70
1969-70 NBA season
The 1969–70 NBA Season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, 21.3 in 1971-72, 19.8 in 1973-74
1973-74 NBA season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
, and averaged almost 17 per game over a nine-year career. The numbers are all the more impressive when one considers that Walker teamed with star guards such as Dave Bing
Dave Bing
David "Dave" Bing is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, a businessman, and a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association , primarily for the Detroit Pistons...
in Detroit, and Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald
Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
in Kansas City-Omaha.