Jimmy Walker (basketball, born 1944)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 8, 1944 Amherst, Virginia |
| Died | July 2, 2007 (aged 63) Kansas City, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Laurinburg Institute (Laurinburg, North Carolina) |
| College | Providence (1964–1967) |
| NBA draft | 1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 1967–1976 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 24, 11 |
| Career history | |
| 1967–1972 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1972–1973 | Houston Rockets |
| 1973–1976 | Kansas City-Omaha / Kansas City Kings |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 11,655 (16.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,860 (2.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,429 (3.5 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
James "Jimmy" Walker (April 8, 1944 – July 2, 2007) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" (1.91 m) guard, he played nine seasons (1967–1976) in the 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, 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.
Walker played basketball on the streets of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. Originally a bit overweight as a teen, he worked on his game for hours, even alone, at the Lewis School playground. An older player from Cambridge, Massachusetts, Francis "Rindge" Jefferson, who had played at Kentucky State, took an interest in the 14-year-old Walker, already 6'2". Jefferson worked with the middle school star. A semi-pro team Jefferson was involved in, the Bruins, even took Walker along as a player, by the time he was 15, in statewide semipro tournaments against former college stars. Walker also played with the Bruin Juniors. 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 Bill Blair was being recruited by Providence College, that he told then-Coach Joe Mullaney, "You should see my cousin Jimmy".
...
Wikipedia