Chet Walker

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Chet Walker

| image = Chet Walker 1975.jpeg

| width =

| caption = Walker in 1975

| position =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 7

| weight_lb = 212

| birth_date = {{birth date|1940|2|22}}

| birth_place = Bethlehem, Mississippi, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|6|8|1940|2|22}}

| death_place = Long Beach, California, U.S.

| high_school = Benton Harbor
(Benton Harbor, Michigan)

| college = Bradley (1959–1962)

| draft_year = 1962

| draft_round = 2

| draft_pick = 12

| draft_team = Syracuse Nationals

| career_number = 25

| career_position = Small forward

| career_start = 1962

| career_end = 1975

| years1 = {{nbay|1962|start}}–{{nbay|1968|end}}

| team1 = Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers

| years2 = {{nbay|1969|start}}–{{nbay|1974|end}}

| team2 = Chicago Bulls

| highlights = * NBA champion (1967)

7× NBA All-Star ({{nasg|1964}}, {{nasg|1966}}, {{nasg|1967}}, {{nasg|1970}}, {{nasg|1971}}, {{nasg|1973}}, {{nasg|1974}})
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1963)
2× Consensus first-team All-American (1961, 1962)
Second-team All-American – AP, NABC, UPI (1960)
3× First-team All-MVC (1960–1962)
No. 31 retired by Bradley Braves
Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 18,831 (18.2 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 7,314 (7.1 rpg)

| stat3label = Assists

| stat3value = 2,126 (2.1 apg)

| bbr = walkech01

| HOF_player = Chet-Walker

}}

Chester "Chet" Walker (February 22, 1940 – June 8, 2024) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was selected in 2012 to become a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, seven with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he helped lead the 76ers to an NBA championship in 1967. He played his last six seasons for the Chicago Bulls from 1969 to 1975. He played college basketball for the Bradley Braves, twice earning first-team consensus All-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.

Early life

Walker was born in Bethlehem, 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 to Benton Harbor, MIchigan after the death of Walker's sister and to escape his abusive father.{{cite web |date=September 5, 2012 |title=Chet the Jet joins basketball greats in the Hall of Fame |url=http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/chet-jet-joins-basketball-greats-hall-fame.html |access-date=December 5, 2015 |website=NBA.com}}{{Cite news |last=Araton |first=Harvey |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Chet Walker, N.B.A. Champion and Movie Producer, Dies at 84 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/sports/basketball/chet-walker-dead.html |work=New York Times}}

Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team, under coach Don Farnum.{{Cite web |last=Maloney |first=Jack |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Chet Walker dies at 84: Basketball Hall of Famer was seven-time NBA All-Star with 76ers, Bulls |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/chet-walker-dies-at-84-basketball-hall-of-famer-was-seven-time-nba-all-star-with-76ers-bulls/ |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}} Walker was selected all-state twice in basketball.{{Cite news |date=June 13, 2024 |title=Benton Harbor's Chet Walker, a 7-time All-Star forward, passes away at 84 |work=The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Michigan) |pages=B1}} As a senior, his team was runner up for the 1958 class A Michigan high school championship, losing to Detroit's Austin Catholic Preparatory School which was led by future fellow NBA Hall of fame player Dave DeBusschere.{{Cite news |date=May 18, 1960 |title=Chet Walker May Have Been Drugged Before Game |work=The Herald-Press (Benton Harbor, Michigan) |pages=1}}{{Cite news |last=Slingerlend |first=Lad |date=March 22, 1958 |title=Benton Harbor, Austin Win Way To 'A' Finals |work=Lansing State Journal |pages=10}}{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Dave DeBusschere |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/dave-debusschere/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}

In September of 1965, Benton Harbor held a Chet Walker Day, with an appreciation from Governor George Romney read that day.{{Cite news |last=DeLand |first=Jim |date=September 27, 1965 |title=Walker Returns His Community's Respect |work=The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Michigan) |pages=14}}

College

Walker earned a scholarship to Bradley University, where he was a two-time consensus All-America in 1961 and 1962.{{Cite web |title=Men's Consensus All-America Teams (1959-60 to 1968-69) |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/awards/men/consensus-all-america-1960-1969.html |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} However, prior to attending Bradley in Peoria, Illinois, he and his mother had agreed Walker would attend the University of Nebraska. In one version of events, disc jockey Al 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.{{Cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Dave |date=September 2, 2012 |title=‘Hijacked’ to Peoria: The wild story behind Chet Walker becoming a Bradley basketball player |url=https://www.pjstar.com/story/sports/college/basketball/bradley-hoops/2012/09/02/hijacked-to-peoria-how/41973225007/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Peoria Journal Star |language=en-US}}

During his three-year career at Bradley, Walker averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. 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.{{Cite web |title=Bradley Athletics Mourns the Passing of Basketball Legend Chet "The Jet" Walker |url=https://bradleybraves.com/news/2024/6/9/mens-basketball-bradley-athletics-mourns-the-passing-of-basketball-legend-chet-the-jet-walker.aspx |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Bradley University Athletics |language=en}} 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).{{Cite web |title=Bradley Athletics Mourns the Passing of Basketball Legend Chet "The Jet" Walker |url=https://bradleybraves.com/news/2024/6/9/mens-basketball-bradley-athletics-mourns-the-passing-of-basketball-legend-chet-the-jet-walker.aspx |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=Bradley University Athletics |language=en}} Bradley won the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1960. It shared the Missouri Valley Conference title in 1962, Walker's senior year. Walker's speed and agility on the court earned him the nickname "Chet the Jet."{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Former Bulls star Chet 'The Jet' Walker dies at 84 |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2024/06/08/former-bulls-star-chet-the-jet-walker-dies-at-84 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}File:Chet Walker Bradley.jpg

NBA career

= Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1962–1969) =

Walker was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1962 NBA draft,{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Chet Walker, Hall of Fame forward whose NBA career started in Syracuse, dies at 84 |url=https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2024/06/chet-walker-hall-of-fame-forward-whose-nba-career-started-in-syracuse-dies-at-84.html |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=syracuse.com |language=en}} and was named to the NBA's first All-Rookie Team in 1963.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=K. C.|date=June 9, 2024 |title=Chet Walker, a Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer who helped initiate change in the NBA, dies at 84 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/08/chet-walker-chicago-bulls-dies/ |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Season Review: 1966–67 |url=https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1966-67 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=NBA.com |language=en}} That Alex Hannum-coached team, which also featured center Wilt Chamberlain, guards Hal Greer and Wali Jones, and sixth man Billy Cunningham, ended the eight-year championship run of the Boston Celtics.{{Cite web |date=September 14, 2021 |title=Legends profile: Chet Walker |url=https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-chet-walker |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=NBA.com |language=en}}

= Chicago Bulls (1969–1975) =

File:Chicago bulls 1969-70 team.jpg

Walker played his final six seasons with the Chicago 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.{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Ryan |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Chicago Bulls release statement after death of Hall of Famer Chet Walker |url=https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news/chicago-bulls-release-statement-after-death-of-hall-of-famer-chet-walker/568226/ |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=NBC Sports Chicago |language=en-US}} The 6–6 forward was an outstanding free-throw shooter, especially in his later years with the Bulls.{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2001 |title=Q&A with Chet Walker |url=https://www.nba.com/bulls/history/qa_with_chetwalker.html |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=NBA.com |language=en}} 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 the Cincinnati Royals.{{cite news |title=Walker Scores 56 Points (Published 1972) |work=The New York Times |date=February 7, 1972 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529024341/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/07/archives/walker-scores-56-points.html |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/07/archives/walker-scores-56-points.html}}

Walker was a seven-time participant in the NBA All-Star Game.{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Basketball HOF forward Walker dies at age of 84 |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40308232 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}

= Role in the players' union =

Walker was the Bulls representative to the NBA 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.

Post-playing career

After his playing days, Walker became a moderately successful TV movie producer. He is the author of a memoir entitled Long Time Coming: A Black Athlete's Coming-of-Age in America (1995).{{Cite web |title=Long Time Coming: A Black Athlete's Coming-Of-Age in America by Chet Walker |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780802115041 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=publishersweekly.com}} He was executive producer of the 1979 television miniseries, Freedom Road, that starred Muhammad Ali and Kris Kristofferson. He co-produced the 1989 television series A Mother's Courage starring Alfre Woodard, based on the life of Mary Thomas, mother of NBA hall of famer Isiah Thomas, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program. Walker also appeared in The 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).{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Sam |author-link=Sam Smith (sportswriter) |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Hall of Famer and Bulls legend Chet Walker, one of the greatest to grace the Chicago sports world, dies at 84 |url=https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/hall-of-famer-and-bulls-legend-chet-walker-one-of-the-greatest-to-grace-the-chicago-sports-world-dies-at-84 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=NBA.com}}

On February 24, 2012 (two days after his 72nd birthday), it was announced that Walker was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by the veterans committee.{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2012 |title=Chet Walker among five direct-elects for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |url=https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/chet-walker-among-five-direct-elects-naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-fame.html |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=NBA.com |language=en}} He was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 7, 2012.{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Patrick |date=September 7, 2012 |title=Chet Walker NBA Hall Of Fame Speech: Benton Harbor Great Inducted |url=https://detroit.sbnation.com/2012/9/7/3302144/chet-walker-nba-hall-of-fame-2012 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=SB Nation Detroit |language=en}}

Death

Walker died in Long Beach, California, on June 8, 2024, at the age of 84.{{cite web |last=Araton |first=Harvey |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Chet Walker, N.B.A. Champion and Movie Producer, Dies at 84 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/sports/basketball/chet-walker-dead.html |access-date=June 9, 2024 |work=The New York Times}} The NBA stated Walker's death is a result of a long-term illness.

NBA career statistics

= Regular season =

| style="text-align:left;"|{{Nbay|1962}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Syracuse

| 78 || – || 25.5 || .469 || – || .699 || 7.2 || 1.1 || – || – || 12.3

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1963}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia

| 76 || – || 36.5 || .440 || – || .711 || 10.3 || 1.6 || – || – || 17.3

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1964}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia

| 79 || – || 27.7 || .403 || – || .742 || 6.7 || 1.7 || – || – || 13.2

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1965}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia

| 80 || – || 32.5 || .451 || – || .716 || 8.0 || 2.5 || – || – || 15.3

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| {{Nbay|1966}}†

| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia

| 81 || – || 33.2 || .488 || – || .766 || 8.1 || 2.3 || – || – || 19.3

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1967}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia

| 82 || – || 32.0 || .460 || – || .726 || 7.4 || 1.9 || – || – || 17.9

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1968}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia

| 82 || – || 33.6 || .484 || – || .804 || 7.8 || 1.8 || – || – || 18.0

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1969}}