William Henry Walker (born October 9, 1987) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Gladiadores de Anzoátegui The Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto, commonly known as the SPB, is the Venezuelan first division national professional basketball league. Founded in 1974 as the Liga Especial de Baloncesto, it adopted the name Liga Profesional de Baloncesto i ...

of the

Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto The Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto, commonly known as the SPB, is the Venezuelan first division national professional basketball league. Founded in 1974 as the Liga Especial de Baloncesto, it adopted the name Liga Profesional de Baloncesto i ...

(SPB). Previously known as Bill Walker, the 6-foot-6-inch-tall (1.98 m) player was selected out of

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

by 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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft and traded shortly thereafter to 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in exchange for cash considerations.

High school career

Walker was a three-year starter at

North College Hill High School North College Hill High School is a Public High school in North College Hill, Ohio. It is the only high school in the North College Hill City Schools district and has an enrollment of approximately 400 to 450 students. Innovative new buildings I ...

North College Hill, Ohio North College Hill is a city in Hamilton County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio approximately ten miles north of downtown Cincinnati. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,397. The city takes its name from its proxim ...

, where he was a consensus Top 10 high school recruit and a teammate of future NBA lottery pick

O. J. Mayo Ovinton J'Anthony Mayo (born November 5, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Zamalek SC of the Egyptian Basketball Super League (EBSL). He played a single season of college basketball for the USC Trojans while earnin ...

. His achievements include: * 2006 Second-team ''Parade'' All-American * 2006

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

All-USA High School Boys' Basketball All-Junior Team * 2006

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...

High School Boys' Basketball First Team *

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

High School Basketball Coaches Association All-State First Team *

Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...

All-State First Team As a sophomore and junior in 2005 and 2006, Walker helped North College Hill to back-to-back Ohio Division III state titles and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 State Tournament. In 2006, North College Hill finished third in the USA Today Super 25 High School rankings, with Walker averaging 21.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He was selected the USA Today National Player of the Week on March 27, 2006. In the fall of 2006, Walker graduated early after it was ruled that he had used all of his high school athletics eligibility the previous year. Walker also helped the USA White team to a 5–0 record at the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, where he played alongside

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

freshman

Greg Oden Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. Oden, a 7'0" (2.13m) center (basketball), center, played college basketball at Ohio State University for 2006–07 Ohio State Buckeyes men's bask ...

and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

freshman

Darrell Arthur Darrell Antwonne Arthur (born March 25, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks for two seasons where he was part of the 2007–08 national championship team. He was draf ...

. He was the only three-time

Most Valuable Player 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 ...

at the

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

ABCD Camp The ABCD Basketball Camp was a youth basketball camp founded by Sonny Vaccaro that was held from 1984 to 2006. The camp gathered the highest ranked high school players of the United States, and was considered one of the top events of high school b ...

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

College career

After receiving interest from many

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

teams, including

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, Walker enrolled at

as a part-time student in order to be eligible to play on December 16, 2006, the start of the second semester. He had an immediate impact on the team, averaging 11.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first six games. However, he ruptured the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

(ACL) in his left knee early in a game against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

on January 6, 2007, which required surgery and abruptly ended his freshman season. This was the second time he suffered this type of injury, going through surgery and rehab in his right knee in 2003. In the 2007–08 season, Walker averaged 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 31 games. He tied his career-high with 31 points in a 92–86 loss at Baylor on February 23, 2008, and combined with teammate

Michael Beasley Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State Universi ...

to score 75 of the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

' 86 points in that game. On April 14, 2008, Walker announced along with Beasley that he would enter the 2008 NBA draft and thus forgo his last three years of eligibility.

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2008–2010)

Many considered Walker a lottery pick, but he suffered the third knee injury in his career during a workout at the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

facility on June 15, 2008. He remained in the draft despite the injury, and was selected on June 26, 2008 by the

with the 47th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, but was subsequently traded to the

for cash considerations after visiting the Celtics three days earlier. He was expected to have minor surgery in July that would keep him out for three to four weeks. In November 2008, Walker was sent to the Celtics'

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

affiliate, the

Utah Flash Orem, Utah Orem Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal ...

, and was recalled on January 8, 2009. On November 21, 2009, the Celtics assigned Walker to the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

in the

. On December 23, 2009, Walker was recalled from the Red Claws by the Celtics.

New York Knicks (2010–2012)

On February 18, 2010, Walker, along with

J. R. Giddens Justin Ray "J. R." Giddens (born February 13, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics out of the University of New Mexico. He initially pl ...

Eddie House Edward Lee House II (born May 14, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. A guard known for his three-point shooting, House played for nine NBA teams in 11 seasons in the league. He was a member of the Boston Celtics team that ...

and a future conditional second round draft pick, was traded to the Knicks for

Nate Robinson Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA draft. ...

and

Marcus Landry Marcus Landry (born November 1, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Goyang Orions of the Korean Basketball League. Landry attended Vincent High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and played his college basketball ...

. Walker was released by the Knicks on April 20, 2012.

Austin Toros (2013)

On February 19, 2013, Walker was acquired by the

Austin Toros Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. On March 25, he was waived by the Toros. On April 3, he was acquired by the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

. However, he never played a game for Sioux Falls.

Trotamundos de Carabobo (2013)

On May 20, 2013, Walker signed with

Trotamundos de Carabobo Trotamundos B.B.C. (), also known as Trotamundos de Carabobo, is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, located in the Venezuelan Carabobo State. The team currently plays in the Venezuelan SuperLiga. The team has won the Venezuelan champ ...

of Venezuela.

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2013–2014)

On October 31, 2013, Walker was reacquired by the

Alaska Aces (2014)

In April 2014, he signed with the Alaska Aces for the 2014 Governors’ Cup.

Second stint with Sioux Falls Skyforce (2014–2015)

On November 3, 2014, Walker was again reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Miami Heat (2015)

On February 21, 2015, he signed a 10-day contract with the

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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

. In his first game with the Heat, Walker recorded 11 points, and made 3 out of his 4 3-pointers in a 119-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He then signed a second 10-day contract with the Heat on March 3, and for the rest of the season on March 13. On July 27, 2015, Walker was waived by the Heat.

Cedevita Zagreb (2015–2016)

On November 7, 2015, Walker signed with the Croatian club

Cedevita Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cedevita Junior ( en, Cedevita Junior Basketball Club), also known as Cedevita Junior, is a men's basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is named after its main sponsor Cedevita, and competes in the Croatian HT Premi ...

for the rest of the season.

NLEX Road Warriors (2016)

On June 8, 2016, Walker signed with the

NLEX Road Warriors The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, currently playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014–2015 season. The Roa ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

as the team's import for the

2016 PBA Governors' Cup The 2015–16 PBA season, 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) PBA Governors' Cup, Governors' Cup, also known as the 2016 Oppo Electronics, Oppo-PBA Governors' Cup for sponsor (commercial), sponsorship reasons, was the third and last confe ...

Third stint with Sioux Falls Skyforce (2016–2017)

On November 16, Walker was reacquired by the

Galatasaray (2018)

On January 2, 2018, Walker signed with Turkish club

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

Defensor Sporting (2018)

On March 30, 2018, Walker was reported to have signed with

Defensor Sporting Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievemen ...

Second stint with Blackwater Elite (2018)

On May 21, 2018, Walker signed again with the

Blackwater Elite The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise began as one of the founding teams in the PB ...

for the

2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2018 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup, also known as the 2018 Honda–PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the second conference of the 2017–18 PBA season. The tournament allows teams to hire forei ...

as a replacement for

Jarrid Famous Jarrid Jerome Famous (born July 16, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for NSH Mountain Gold Timika of the Indonesian Basketball League. He played college basketball at both Westchester Community College and the University of Sout ...

. He only just appeared in 5 games with the Elite in the

. In those 5 games, he averaged 13 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game and .6 blocks per game.

Shiga Lakestars (2019–2021)

On February 11, 2019, he signed with the

Shiga Lakestars Shiga Lakes (滋賀レイクス) is a Japanese men's basketball team playing in the Western Conference of the B.League. They are based in the Shiga Prefecture. Coaches * Bob Pierce (2008–10) *Takatoshi Ishibashi *Hirokazu Nema *Al Westover ...

in the Japanese

B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that w ...

Club La Cancha (2021)

On October 22, 2021, he signed with Club La Cancha.

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2021–2022)

In November 2021, Walker signed with

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. It debuted in the league in the 2006–07 PBA season after acquiring the franchise righ ...

of the

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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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 ...

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Playoffs

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Personal life

Having been known as Bill for most of his life, in January 2014, Walker began going by his middle name, Henry.

References

External links

Bill Walker Player Info
@ DraftExpress.com
Bill Walker – Kansas State Player Bio

@ NBA.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Henry 1987 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players Alaska Aces (PBA) players American expatriate basketball people in Croatia American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American expatriate basketball people in Uruguay American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's basketball players Basketball players from West Virginia Blackwater Bossing players Boston Celtics players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball players KK Cedevita players Maine Red Claws players McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Heat players New York Knicks players NLEX Road Warriors players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philippine Basketball Association imports Rain or Shine Elasto Painters players Shiga Lakes players Shooting guards Sioux Falls Skyforce players Sportspeople from Huntington, West Virginia Small forwards Trotamundos B.B.C. players Utah Flash players Washington Wizards draft picks

High school career

College career

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2008–2010)

New York Knicks (2010–2012)

Austin Toros (2013)

Trotamundos de Carabobo (2013)

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2013–2014)

Alaska Aces (2014)

Second stint with Sioux Falls Skyforce (2014–2015)

Miami Heat (2015)

Cedevita Zagreb (2015–2016)

NLEX Road Warriors (2016)

Third stint with Sioux Falls Skyforce (2016–2017)

Galatasaray (2018)

Defensor Sporting (2018)

Second stint with Blackwater Elite (2018)

Shiga Lakestars (2019–2021)

Club La Cancha (2021)

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2021–2022)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links