Jimmy Walker

James Walker (April 8, 1944 – July 2, 2007) was an American professional basketball player. A guard, he played nine seasons (1967–1976) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City-Omaha / 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, Walker died on July 2, 2007, at the age of 63, from complications related to lung cancer.

Early life Walker grew up in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.

Walker attended Laurinburg Institute, a black preparatory school in North Carolina and later earned a scholarship to play at Providence College.

College career Walker attended Providence College, where he played under head coach Joe Mullaney. In 2003, he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame.

NBA career Walker was selected #1 overall pick in the 1967 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. He was also drafted #1 overall in the inaugural American Basketball Association Draft by the Indiana Pacers. 1967 was 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). Walker 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 20.9 ppg in 1969–70, 21.3 in 1971–72, and 19.8 in 1973–74, averaging almost 17 per game over a 9-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.

Overall in 698 games with the Detroit Pistons (1967–1972), Houston Rockets (1972–1973), and Kansas City Kings (1973–1976), Walker averaged 16.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his NBA career.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

College statistics

Personal life Walker initially settled in Kansas City when his career ended before spending a few years in Amherst, Virginia and Atlanta, Georgia. He moved back to Kansas City in 1994 after his daughter, Jamesa Walker-Thompson, was diagnosed with cancer.

In the leadup to the NCAA Tournament in 1992, Walker sent a letter (addressed to Rose) to Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, as he had been interviewed by him for a book on the Fab Five. Rose wanted to wait until he was mature enough to read the letter and didn't read it for eight years. In that same time, Austin Croshere, a Providence graduate who won the school's MVP award that bore Walker's name, was drafted by the Indiana Pacers, who Rose was playing with at the time. He gave Rose a paper that had Walker's phone number on it. In 2000, Rose opened the letter and eventually decided to call the number. The two spoke a few times over the phone and by e-mail but never met. They made plans to meet in person in the month that Walker died. Rose attended the funeral of Walker, who was cremated.

Honors The basketball award at Providence is called the Jimmy Walker Most Valuable Player Award.

In 2008, Providence honored Walker's number with The Friar Legends Forever Tradition.

Jalen Rose hosted the Providence Late Night Event in 2014.