 Walker in 1975 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1940-02-22)February 22, 1940 Bethlehem, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | June 8, 2024(2024-06-08) (aged 84) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor, Michigan) |
| College | Bradley (1959–1962) |
| NBA draft | 1962: 2nd round, 12th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Syracuse Nationals |
| Playing career | 1962–1975 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 25 |
| Career history | |
| 1962–1969 | Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1969–1975 | Chicago Bulls |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 18,831 (18.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 7,314 (7.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,126 (2.1 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Chester Walker (February 22, 1940 – June 8, 2024) was an American professionalbasketball player in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), and was selected in 2012 to become a member of theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a seven-timeNBA All-Star. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, seven with thePhiladelphia 76ers, and he helped lead the 76ers to anNBA championship in 1967. He played his last six seasons for theChicago Bulls from 1969 to 1975. He playedcollege basketball for theBradley Braves, twice earning first-team consensusAll-American honors, and was famously "hijacked" to Bradley to keep him from attending the University of Nebraska instead. He also won an Emmy award as a television producer.
Walker was born inBethlehem, Mississippi on February 22, 1940, the youngest of John and Regina Walker's ten children, four of whom died before age 10. He lived and worked on the family's small cotton farm, until his mother moved with her youngest children toBenton Harbor, MIchigan after the death of Walker's sister and to escape his abusive father.[1][2]
Walker played high school basketball for theBenton Harbor High School boys basketball team, under coachDon Farnum.[1][2][3] Walker was selected All-State twice in basketball.[4] As a senior, his team was runner up for the 1958 class A Michigan high school championship, losing toDetroit'sAustin Catholic Preparatory School which was led by future fellow NBA Hall of Fame playerDave DeBusschere.[5][6][7]
In September of 1965, Benton Harbor held a Chet Walker Day, with an appreciation fromGovernor George Romney read that day.[8]
Walker earned a scholarship toBradley University, where he was a two-time consensusAll-America in1961 and1962.[2][3][9] However, prior to attending Bradley inPeoria, Illinois, he and his mother had agreed Walker would attend theUniversity of Nebraska. In one version of events, disc jockeyAl Benson went to Walker's home and agreed to take Walker to the airport in Chicago to head to Nebraska. Instead, Benson brought Walker to Bradley's head coach and athletic director, who flew Walker to Peoria to commit to Bradley.[10]
During his three-year career at Bradley, Walker averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.[2][3][9] He is the only Bradley Braves player to be selected a two-time All-America player, and his number 31 was retired by the school in 1976.[11] He graduated from Bradley in 1962 as the school's all-time leading scorer, and is still its fourth all-time scorer (as of June 2024).[11][12] Bradley won theNational Invitation Tournament championship in 1960.[13] It shared theMissouri Valley Conference title in 1962, Walker's senior year.[11] Walker's speed and agility on the court earned him the nickname "Chet the Jet."[14]
Walker was drafted by theSyracuse Nationals in the1962 NBA draft,[15] and was named to the NBA's firstAll-Rookie Team in 1963.[16] He followed the team to Philadelphia after his rookie season. Walker averaged over 19 points and eight rebounds a game for the 1966–67 76ers, who won 68 games and lost just 13—the best record in NBA history at the time.[13][17] ThatAlex Hannum-coached team, which also featured centerWilt Chamberlain, guardsHal Greer andWali Jones, and sixth manBilly Cunningham, ended the eight-year championship run of theBoston Celtics.[18][13]
Walker played his final six seasons with theChicago Bulls, and never averaged less than 19.2 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. In his 13-year career, Walker scored a total of 18,831 points.[19] The 6–6 forward was an outstanding free-throw shooter, especially in his later years with the Bulls.[20] He led the NBA with an accuracy rate of 85.9 percent in 1970–71, and ranked among the top-10 free-throw shooters five other times. On February 6, 1972, Walker scored a career-high and then-team-record 56 points during a Bulls win over theCincinnati Royals.[21]
Walker was a seven-time participant in theNBA All-Star Game.[13]
Walker was the Bulls representative to theNBA Players Association in 1970, and was a plaintiff in a federal antitrust lawsuit filed against the NBA. The case settled in 1976, but Walker refused to go along with the settlement. Walker had left the Bulls in the 1975–1976 season over a salary dispute, and continued to litigate individually. In a meeting with the Bulls owner, Walker was informed that if he chose to play again, the NBA took the position that Walker was the Bulls "property", a concept that repulsed Walker. He chose never to play again.[2]
After his playing days, Walker became a moderately successful TV movie producer. He is the author of a memoir entitledLong Time Coming: A Black Athlete's Coming-of-Age in America (1995).[22] He was executive producer of the 1979 television miniseries,Freedom Road, that starredMuhammad Ali andKris Kristofferson.[2] He co-produced the 1989 television seriesA Mother's Courage starringAlfre Woodard, based on the life of Mary Thomas, mother of NBA hall of famerIsiah Thomas, which won anEmmy for Outstanding Children's Program.[2] Walker also appeared inThe White Shadow in season 3's "If Your Number's Up, Get it Down" as a former Chicago Bulls teammate of Coach Ken Reeves (Ken Howard).[23]
On February 24, 2012 (two days after his 72nd birthday), it was announced that Walker was elected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by the veterans committee.[24] He was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame inSpringfield, Massachusetts, on September 7, 2012.[1][25]
Walker died inLong Beach, California, on June 8, 2024, at the age of 84.[13][26] The NBA stated Walker's death is a result of a long-term illness.[23]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | Syracuse | 78 | – | 25.5 | .469 | – | .699 | 7.2 | 1.1 | – | – | 12.3 |
| 1963–64 | Philadelphia | 76 | – | 36.5 | .440 | – | .711 | 10.3 | 1.6 | – | – | 17.3 |
| 1964–65 | Philadelphia | 79 | – | 27.7 | .403 | – | .742 | 6.7 | 1.7 | – | – | 13.2 |
| 1965–66 | Philadelphia | 80 | – | 32.5 | .451 | – | .716 | 8.0 | 2.5 | – | – | 15.3 |
| 1966–67† | Philadelphia | 81 | – | 33.2 | .488 | – | .766 | 8.1 | 2.3 | – | – | 19.3 |
| 1967–68 | Philadelphia | 82 | – | 32.0 | .460 | – | .726 | 7.4 | 1.9 | – | – | 17.9 |
| 1968–69 | Philadelphia | 82 | – | 33.6 | .484 | – | .804 | 7.8 | 1.8 | – | – | 18.0 |
| 1969–70 | Chicago | 78 | – | 34.9 | .477 | – | .850 | 7.7 | 2.5 | – | – | 21.5 |
| 1970–71 | Chicago | 81 | – | 36.1 | .465 | – | .859* | 7.3 | 2.2 | – | – | 22.0 |
| 1971–72 | Chicago | 78 | – | 33.2 | .505 | – | .847 | 6.1 | 2.3 | – | – | 22.0 |
| 1972–73 | Chicago | 79 | – | 31.1 | .478 | – | .832 | 5.0 | 2.3 | – | – | 19.9 |
| 1973–74 | Chicago | 82 | – | 32.5 | .486 | – | .875 | 5.0 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 19.3 |
| 1974–75 | Chicago | 76 | – | 32.3 | .487 | – | .860 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 19.2 |
| Career | 1,032 | – | 32.4 | .470 | – | .796 | 7.1 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 18.2 | |
| All-Star | 7 | 1 | 17.9 | .435 | – | .850 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.1 | |
| Source:[27] | ||||||||||||
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Syracuse | 5 | – | 26.0 | .509 | – | .733 | 9.4 | 1.8 | – | – | 15.2 |
| 1964 | Philadelphia | 5 | – | 38.0 | .390 | – | .739 | 10.4 | 2.6 | – | – | 18.8 |
| 1965 | Philadelphia | 11 | – | 42.6 | .480 | – | .760 | 7.2 | 1.6 | – | – | 20.3 |
| 1966 | Philadelphia | 5 | – | 36.2 | .375 | – | .806 | 7.4 | 3.0 | – | – | 14.6 |
| 1967† | Philadelphia | 15 | – | 36.7 | .467 | – | .807 | 7.6 | 2.1 | – | – | 21.7 |
| 1968 | Philadelphia | 13 | – | 37.3 | .410 | – | .679 | 7.4 | 1.8 | – | – | 19.1 |
| 1969 | Philadelphia | 4 | – | 27.3 | .535 | – | .667 | 5.8 | 2.0 | – | – | 13.5 |
| 1970 | Chicago | 5 | – | 35.6 | .422 | – | .818 | 8.4 | 2.2 | – | – | 19.4 |
| 1971 | Chicago | 7 | – | 33.4 | .440 | – | .708 | 7.1 | 3.1 | – | – | 15.0 |
| 1972 | Chicago | 4 | – | 24.3 | .421 | – | .813 | 3.5 | 1.0 | – | – | 11.3 |
| 1973 | Chicago | 7 | – | 32.7 | .347 | – | .892 | 8.9 | 2.0 | – | – | 16.7 |
| 1974 | Chicago | 11 | – | 36.6 | .509 | – | .861 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 20.9 |
| 1975 | Chicago | 13 | – | 33.2 | .494 | – | .880 | 4.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 17.5 |
| Career | 105 | – | 35.1 | .449 | – | .787 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 18.2 | |
| Source:[27] | ||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
