Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball playe ...

out of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

and played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008. Walker played for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks,

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, the BSN's Mets de Guaynabo and the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

before retiring from basketball in 2012. Walker, a three-time NBA All-Star, won an NCAA championship with Kentucky in 1996 and an NBA championship with the Heat in 2006.

Pre-NBA career

Walker attended Mount Carmel High School, in Chicago, where he played with future NFL

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Donovan McNabb and attained all-state status as a senior, earning a full scholarship to play for

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

at the

. He was a starting forward on the Wildcats' 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game-winning team. As a freshman at Kentucky he was named SEC Tournament

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

. In his sophomore year, Walker was named All-SEC First, All-SEC Tournament and to the All-NCAA Regional Teams.

Professional career

Boston Celtics (1996–2003)

After Walker's sophomore season, he declared for the

and was picked sixth overall by the Boston Celtics. In the 1996–1997 season, Walker made the All-Rookie First Team and led the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.0), as the team had its worst season in franchise history, 15–67. The following season, Pitino was reunited with Walker as the new coach of the Celtics and he made the All-Star team as a reserve while averaging 22.4 ppg and 10.2 rpg. He also scored a career-high 49 points in a loss against the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. Walker's success led to his appearance on the cover of NBA Live 99. In the '98 draft, the Celtics had the 10th pick and chose swing man

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. He was most recently an analyst on ESPN ...

. The next few years, Pierce and Walker were a talented duo for the Celtics. In the 2001–2002 season, Walker had his best overall season by helping lead the Celtics to a 49–33 record and their first playoff berth in seven years. He was second on his team in scoring (22.0), first in rebounds (9), and first in assists, (5.0). Pierce and Walker took the team to the Eastern Conference finals, where they fell to the New Jersey Nets in six games. The next season, Walker made his third All-Star team. On February 20, 2002, former Kentucky teammate Tony Delk was traded to the Celtics, reuniting Walker with him.

Dallas Mavericks (2003–2004)

Just 10 days before the start of the 2003–04 season, Walker was traded with Delk to the Dallas Mavericks for

Raef LaFrentz Raef Andrew LaFrentz (born May 29, 1976) is an American former professional basketball power forward and center who played for the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Associati ...

, Chris Mills, and Jiří Welsch. Walker was used in a relatively limited capacity on his new team due to the number of high-caliber players populating the Mavericks' roster. Included on that team was Antawn Jamison, newly acquired from the Golden State Warriors.

Atlanta Hawks (2004–2005)

On August 8, 2004, Walker and Delk were traded again, this time to the

for

Jason Terry Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...

, longtime Hawk

Alan Henderson Alan Lybrooks Henderson (born December 2, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He stands 6'9" (2.06 m) tall. Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Henderson attended Brebeuf Jesuit ...

and a draft pick.

Return to Boston (2005)

On February 24, 2005, Walker was traded back to the Celtics in a deal that sent

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...

Tom Gugliotta Thomas James Gugliotta (born December 19, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life The youngest of seven children, Gugliotta has far Italian ...

, Michael Stewart, and a first-round draft pick to the Hawks. (Payton was released by the Hawks and re-signed with Boston for the remainder of the season). Walker started all 24 remaining games for the Celtics, averaging 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds a game as the Celtics advanced to the playoffs before losing to the Indiana Pacers in a 7-game first round series. For his second stint with the Celtics, Walker briefly chose to wear the uniform number 88, as his trademark 8 jersey was being worn by rookie

Al Jefferson Al Ricardo Jefferson (born January 4, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a high school All-American for Prentiss High School in Mississippi before skipping college to enter the 2004 NBA draft, where he was drafted 1 ...

. Jefferson would switch to number 7 after 2 games.

Miami Heat (2005–2007)

On August 2, 2005, Walker was involved in a five-team, 13-player deal (the largest trade in NBA history) that sent him from the Celtics to the

. The Celtics received

Curtis Borchardt Curtis Alan Borchardt (born September 13, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) tall center. Amateur career Borchardt played high school basketball in Sammamish, Washington (then Redmond), fo ...

Qyntel Woods Qyntel Deon Woods (born February 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played mainly at the small forward position, but he also played at the shooting guard position, on occasion. Early life and college career Woods w ...

, the draft rights of Albert Miralles, and draft picks in the deal. The move reunited Walker with Celtics teammate

. The Heat played Walker mostly off the bench, and he rotated between both forward positions. Though he struggled early to adjust to this role, by the end of the season he was a force for the Heat, finishing the season with averages of 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds a game as the team's main scorer off the bench. Walker also led the team in overall 3-point shots made for the season, and increased his 3-point, free throw and overall shooting percentages. In the playoffs his production would increase, as he would be the third leading scorer for the team while making crucial three-point baskets and posting 20 points in four different playoff games including 23 against the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in the closing game of the conference semifinals. Miami advanced to the NBA Finals and faced the Dallas Mavericks, with Walker posting 13.8 points per game in the series as the Heat won the

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

in 6 games. In the title clinching sixth game in Dallas, Walker contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds. Walker's production dipped in the 2006–2007 season as he averaged 8.5 points a game and 4.3 rebounds. The Heat failed to repeat as champions following a first round loss to 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

Minnesota Timberwolves (2007–2008)

On October 24, 2007, Walker was traded to the

along with Michael Doleac,

Wayne Simien Wayne Anthony Simien Jr. (born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player, who last played with Spain's Cáceres Ciudad de Baloncesto. He was a member of the Miami Heat when they won the 2006 NBA championship. Simien pla ...

, a first-round draft pick and cash considerations in exchange for

Ricky Davis Tyree Ricardo Davis (born September 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for University of Iowa. Biography Davis atten ...

and Mark Blount.Ira Winderman
Riley's trade stokes the Heat
, '' South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' On June 27, 2008, Walker was dealt to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

along with

Marko Jarić Marko Jarić ( sr-cyr, Марко Јарић, ; el, Μάρκο Γιάριτς, Marko Yiarits; born 12 October 1978) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), he mainly played the shooting guard po ...

Greg Buckner Gregory Derayle Buckner (born September 16, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who is the associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He had previously served as an assis ...

, and the rights to O. J. Mayo, for Mike Miller,

Brian Cardinal Brian Lee Cardinal (born May 2, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 456 games in the NBA between 2000 and 2012, and won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Before his NBA career, he was one o ...

Jason Collins Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, where he was ...

, and the rights to

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time NBA All-Star Game, All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA ...

. After appearing in just two preseason games and remaining inactive throughout the opening months of the regular season, he was waived by the Grizzlies on December 19, 2008.

Mets de Guaynabo (2010)

In February 2010, Walker signed with the Guaynabo Mets along with former

player

Marcus Fizer Darnell Marcus Lamar Fizer (born August 10, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. High school career Fizer played high school basketball at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Louisiana. As a senior, Fizer was selected to play ...

. Walker was released on April 1, 2010.

Idaho Stampede (2010–2012)

On May 6, 2010, ESPN reported that Walker was trying to return to the NBA. On December 7, 2010, Walker was acquired by

of the NBA Development League. It was reported in April 2012 that Walker had announced his retirement after two years with the Stampede.

Personal life

Walker was previously engaged to reality star Evelyn Lozada of '' Basketball Wives'' from 1998 until 2008. Walker was raised and born on the Chicago's south-side and attended Mount Carmel high school.

Legal issues

In 1997, alongside Walker's roommate as well as NBA players

Ron Mercer Ronald Eugene Mercer (born May 18, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. After his career at the University of Kentucky, Mercer played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA); he ended his career with ...

and

Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. Afte ...

, Walker was identified in a lawsuit of a woman who said she was raped in his home. Walker denied participation in the sexual assault, but was accused of walking through the room while it took place. Walker filed a counter-complaint against Mercer and Billups, but those records are sealed. Mercer and Billups settled the case out of court. On January 5, 2009, Walker was arrested for driving under the influence in Miami Beach, Florida. On July 15, 2009, Walker was charged with three felony counts of writing bad checks related to gambling debts he had incurred at three Las Vegas casinos.Gambling woes for Walker
/ref> Walker was arrested on July 15 at Harrah's Casino in South Lake Tahoe,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. The charges stemmed from over $800,000 in gambling debts. Walker was in South Lake Tahoe to play in the

American Century Celebrity Golf Classic The American Century Championship is a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada, United States. It is held during the second full week of July at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, at the shore of Lake Tahoe. The course is at the southeast edg ...

the following day. On June 30, 2010, Walker entered a plea of not guilty on felony bad check charges stemming from his failure to pay $770,000 in gambling losses to Caesars Palace and two other casinos in Las Vegas, according to the ''Las Vegas Review Journal''. A year later, he pleaded guilty to one felony count of passing a bad check. Under the plea agreement, he did not face a prison term, and was put on probation and worked towards repaying the debt.

Victim of Robberies

In July 2000, Walker and former University of Kentucky teammate

Nazr Mohammed Nazr Tahiru Mohammed ( ; born September 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who had a journeyman career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for eight different teams over 18 seasons. He is the current ...

were robbed outside a South Side Chicago restaurant.Heat forward Walker robbed at home in Chicago
/ref> On July 9, 2007, Walker and another individual were robbed at gunpoint by two offenders in his own house. The assailants made off with close to $200,000 worth of merchandise, including Walker's Mercedes. His car was later recovered having been stripped of its expensive aftermarket wheels and stereo system. Four men were charged in this robbery and two of them were also linked to the similar robbery of fellow NBA player,

Eddy Curry Eddy Anthony Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Coming directly out of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry was selected fourth overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Chicago B ...

."Man who robbed Walker gets 21 years"
ESPN.com. May 5, 2009.

Bankruptcy

On May 18, 2010, Walker filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Florida (Miami) as case number 10-23558 with total assets of $4.3 million and debts of $12.7 million. The filing listed four pieces of real estate including a $2.3 million Miami home that was underwater with a mortgage of $3.6 million, and three other properties in Chicago, one listed for $1.4 million.

paid half the fee of Walker's bankruptcy attorney. Walker's championship ring had to be sold off. In August 2013, Walker announced that he was debt-free. Between 1996 and 2009, Walker earned more than $108 million from NBA salaries.

Broadcasting career

Walker was a basketball analyst on

120 Sports 120 Sports was an internet television service, operated as a joint venture between Time Inc., Silver Chalice, MLB Advanced Media, and the National Hockey League. The service produced and streamed sports news and highlight content catered towards di ...

. Walker was also hired by

SEC Network The SEC Network is an American multinational sports network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications (which holds ...

as a basketball analyst.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 82 , , 68 , , 36.2 , , .425 , , .327 , , .631 , , 9.0 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 17.5 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 39.9 , , .423 , , .312 , , .645 , , 10.2 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 22.4 , - , align="left" , 1998–99 , align="left" ,

, 42 , , 41 , , 36.9 , , .412 , , .369 , , .559 , , 8.5 , , 3.1 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 36.6 , , .430 , , .256 , , .699 , , 8.0 , , 3.7 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 20.5 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 81 , , 41.9 , , .413 , , .367 , , .716 , , 8.9 , , 5.5 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , 23.4 , - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 81 , , 42.0 , , .394 , , .344 , , .741 , , 8.8 , , 5.0 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 22.1 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 78 , , 41.5 , , .388 , , .323 , , .615 , , 7.2 , , 4.8 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 20.1 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 34.6 , , .428 , , .269 , , .554 , , 8.3 , , 4.5 , , .8 , , .8 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 53 , , 53 , , 40.2 , , .415 , , .317 , , .534 , , 9.4 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 20.4 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 24 , , 24 , , 34.5 , , .442 , , .342 , , .557 , , 8.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 2005–06† , align="left" ,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 82 , , 19 , , 26.8 , , .435 , , .358 , , .628 , , 5.1 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , 12.2 , - , align="left" , 2006–07 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 15 , , 23.3 , , .397 , , .275 , , .438 , , 4.3 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .2 , , 8.5 , - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 46 , , 1 , , 19.4 , , .363 , , .324 , , .530 , , 3.7 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , 8.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 893 , , 707 , , 35.3 , , .414 , , .325 , , .633 , , 7.7 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 3 , , 1 , , 13.3 , , .350 , , .300 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 6.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2002 , align="left" ,

, 16 , , 16 , , 43.9 , , .411 , , .385 , , .781 , , 8.6 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 22.1 , - , align="left" , 2003 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 44.0 , , .415 , , .356 , , .500 , , 8.7 , , 4.3 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , 17.3 , - , align="left" , 2004 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 28.0 , , .361 , , .100 , , .571 , , 10.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , 2005 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 6 , , 37.3 , , .413 , , .368 , , .636 , , 7.3 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 2006† , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 23 , , 37.5 , , .403 , , .324 , , .574 , , 5.6 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 13.3 , - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 23.0 , , .405 , , .500 , , .818 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .3 , , 11.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 60 , , 38.5 , , .406 , , .352 , , .663 , , 7.1 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 16.1

References

External links

*
Antoine Walker Bankruptcy Documents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Antoine 1976 births Living people African-American basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Dallas Mavericks players Idaho Stampede players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Heat players Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association All-Stars Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople