Chester "Chet" Walker (February 22, 1940 – June 8, 2024) was an American professional basketball player in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA), and was selected in 2012 to become a member of the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

. He was a seven-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, seven with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, and he helped lead the 76ers to an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

in 1967. He played his last six seasons for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

from 1969 to 1975. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Bradley Braves The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the Division I (NCAA), ...

, twice earning first-team consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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 Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County, Michigan, Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 2 ...

after the death of Walker's sister and to escape his abusive father. Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team, under coach Don Farnum. Walker was selected all-state twice in basketball. As a senior, his team was runner up for the 1958 class A Michigan high school championship, losing to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

's Austin Catholic Preparatory School which was led by future fellow NBA Hall of fame player

Dave DeBusschere David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional basketball player and coach, and professional baseball player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 and in the NBA for the Detroit Pi ...

. In September of 1965, Benton Harbor held a Chet Walker Day, with an appreciation from Governor George Romney read that day.

College

Walker earned a scholarship to Bradley University, where he was a two-time consensus

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

and

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

. However, prior to attending Bradley in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

, he and his mother had agreed Walker would attend the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. 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. 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. 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). Bradley won the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

championship in 1960. It shared the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

title in 1962, Walker's senior year. Walker's speed and agility on the court earned him the nickname "Chet the Jet." Chet Walker Bradley

NBA career

Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1962–1969)

Walker was drafted by the

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA ...

in the 1962 NBA draft, and was named to the NBA's first All-Rookie Team in 1963. 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. That

Alex Hannum Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player, Hannum played for six different teams, most notably with the Milwaukee (later St. Louis) Hawks, where he played ...

-coached team, which also featured center

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

, guards

Hal Greer Harold Everett Greer ( ; June 26, 1936 – April 14, 2018) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1958 through 1973. A ...

and Wali Jones, and sixth man

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA' ...

, ended the eight-year championship run of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

Chicago Bulls (1969–1975)

Walker played his final six seasons with the

, 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. The 6–6 forward was an outstanding free-throw shooter, especially in his later years with the Bulls. 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. Walker was a seven-time participant in the

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted each February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's All-star, star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of ...

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). He was executive producer of the 1979 television miniseries, '' Freedom Road'', that starred

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

and

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

. He co-produced the 1989 television series ''A Mother's Courage'' starring

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...

, based on the life of Mary Thomas, mother of NBA hall of famer

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

, which won an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

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 Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in ''1776'' (1972) and as high school basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the televisi ...

). On February 24, 2012 (two days after his 72nd birthday), it was announced that Walker was elected to the

by the veterans committee. He was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

, on September 7, 2012.

Death

Walker died in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, on June 8, 2024, at the age of 84. The NBA stated Walker's death is a result of a long-term illness.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Syracuse , 78 , , – , , 25.5 , , .469 , , – , , .699 , , 7.2 , , 1.1 , , – , , – , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 76 , , – , , 36.5 , , .440 , , – , , .711 , , 10.3 , , 1.6 , , – , , – , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , – , , 27.7 , , .403 , , – , , .742 , , 6.7 , , 1.7 , , – , , – , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , – , , 32.5 , , .451 , , – , , .716 , , 8.0 , , 2.5 , , – , , – , , 15.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 33.2 , , .488 , , – , , .766 , , 8.1 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 19.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 32.0 , , .460 , , – , , .726 , , 7.4 , , 1.9 , , – , , – , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 33.6 , , .484 , , – , , .804 , , 7.8 , , 1.8 , , – , , – , , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 78 , , – , , 34.9 , , .477 , , – , , .850 , , 7.7 , , 2.5 , , – , , – , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 36.1 , , .465 , , – , , style="background:#cfecec;", .859*, , 7.3 , , 2.2 , , – , , – , , 22.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , – , , 33.2 , , .505 , , – , , .847 , , 6.1 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 22.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , – , , 31.1 , , .478 , , – , , .832 , , 5.0 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 32.5 , , .486 , , – , , .875 , , 5.0 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 19.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , – , , 32.3 , , .487 , , – , , .860 , , 5.7 , , 2.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 19.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,032 , , – , , 32.4 , , .470 , , – , , .796 , , 7.1 , , 2.1 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 18.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 7 , , 1 , , 17.9 , , .435 , , – , , .850 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 8.1 , - !scope=row colspan=13 style="text-align: center;" , Source:

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, style="text-align:left;", Syracuse , 5, , –, , 26.0, , .509, , –, , .733, , 9.4, , 1.8, , –, , –, , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , –, , 38.0, , .390, , –, , .739, , 10.4, , 2.6, , –, , –, , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11, , –, , 42.6, , .480, , –, , .760, , 7.2, , 1.6, , –, , –, , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , –, , 36.2, , .375, , –, , .806, , 7.4, , 3.0, , –, , –, , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 15, , –, , 36.7, , .467, , –, , .807, , 7.6, , 2.1, , –, , –, , 21.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 13, , –, , 37.3, , .410, , –, , .679, , 7.4, , 1.8, , –, , –, , 19.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , –, , 27.3, , .535, , –, , .667, , 5.8, , 2.0, , –, , –, , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , –, , 35.6, , .422, , –, , .818, , 8.4, , 2.2, , –, , –, , 19.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7, , –, , 33.4, , .440, , –, , .708, , 7.1, , 3.1, , –, , –, , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , –, , 24.3, , .421, , –, , .813, , 3.5, , 1.0, , –, , –, , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7, , –, , 32.7, , .347, , –, , .892, , 8.9, , 2.0, , –, , –, , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11, , –, , 36.6, , .509, , –, , .861, , 5.5, , 1.6, , 0.9, , 0.1, , 20.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 13, , –, , 33.2, , .494, , –, , .880, , 4.6, , 1.8, , 1.0, , 0.1, , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 105 , , – , , 35.1 , , .449 , , – , , .787 , , 7.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 18.2 , - !scope=row colspan=13 style="text-align: center;" , Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Chet 1940 births 2024 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Michigan Bradley Braves men's basketball players Chicago Bulls players Forwards (basketball) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars Sportspeople from Benton Harbor, Michigan Philadelphia 76ers players Syracuse Nationals draft picks Syracuse Nationals players 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Sportspeople from Marshall County, Mississippi

Early life

College

NBA career

Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1962–1969)

Chicago Bulls (1969–1975)

Role in the players' union

Post-playing career

Death

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links