Hall of Fame forward Chet Walker passed away, it was announced on Saturday, at the age of 84.
Walker was a seven-time All-Star selection (1964, 1966-1967, 1970-1971, 1973-1974), and was a one-time NBA champion as a key member of the 1967 champion Philadelphia 76ers. Walker was also named to the All-Rookie First Team in 1963.
The 6 foot, 7 inch Walker was the 14th overall
selection in the 1962 NBA Draft by the Syracuse Nationals, who became the Philadelphia 76ers after the 1962-1963 season. It was in his second season when Walker averaged 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds a game and was recognized as an All-Star for the first time. In the 1966-1967 season, Walker averaged 19.3 points and 8.1 rebounds, part of one of the greatest teams in league history (they went 68-13) that featured Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Wali Jones, and Walker. Incredibly, Walker, not Chamberlain, was the go-to player for head coach Alex Hannum down the stretch in close games, per Hall of Fame columnist Peter Vecsey.
Walker’s best years individually occurred in Chicago, where he played from 1969-1975. He eclipsed the 20-point average plateau in three consecutive seasons, averaging 21.5 points in 1969-1970, and 22.0 in back-to-back seasons in 1970-1971 and 1971-1972. In his final season, he averaged 19.2 points and 5.7 rebounds.
The Bethlehem, M.S. native is lauded by Cunningham as having as good of a pump fake as any player, and Chamberlain remarked that he was “the greatest one on one player that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, playing with or against.”
RIP to Chet Walker.
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