Lucas Walker (born 6 December 1984) is an Australian

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 for the

Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home game ...

of the

NBL1 East The NBL1 East, formerly the Waratah League, is a semi-professional basketball league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2021, Basketball New South Wales and the National ...

. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2010 and 2020. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

Montana State University Billings Montana State University Billings (or MSU Billings) is a public university in Billings, Montana. It is the state's third largest university. Its campus is located on 110 acres in downtown Billings. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal School at its ...

and

Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate ...

before joining the

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...

in 2010. After five seasons with Melbourne, he had stints with the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The ...

and Sydney Kings. He won an NBL championship with the Wildcats in 2017.

Early life and career

Born and raised in Launceston, Tasmania, Walker attended West Launceston Primary School, Riverside High School and Launceston College. He played three seasons in the

South East Australian Basketball League The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was an Australian semi-professional basketball league. The league comprised both a men's and women's competition and was run by the country's governing body, Basketball Australia. The league wa ...

(SEABL), with the Launceston Tigers in 2002 and the North-West Tasmania Thunder in 2003, before moving to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport and play for the program's SEABL team in 2004.

College career

Walker moved to the United States to attend

, where as a freshman in 2004–05, he was named the

Pacific West Conference The Pacific West Conference (also known as the PacWest) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in California and Hawaii. T ...

Freshman of the Year after averaging 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20 games (17 starts). As a sophomore in 2005–06, he averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22 games (17 starts). In 2006, Walker transferred to

. After redshirting the 2006–07 season due to NCAA transfer rules, he appeared in 25 games off the bench for the Gaels in 2007–08, averaging 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 9.3 minutes per game. As a senior in 2008–09, he played 25 games (8 starts) and averaged 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

Professional career

Upon returning to Australia, Walker played for the Dandenong Rangers during the 2010

SEABL The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was an Australian semi-professional basketball league. The league comprised both a men's and women's competition and was run by the country's governing body, Basketball Australia. The league wa ...

season before joining the

for the

2010–11 NBL season The 2010–11 NBL season was the 33rd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2010 and April 2011, followed by a post-season involving the to ...

. He played five seasons with Melbourne, with the 2014–15 season marking his final season with the club. In 131 games, he averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. During this time, he played for the

Ballarat Miners The Ballarat Miners are an Australian basketball team based in Ballarat, Victoria. The Miners compete in the Women’s and Men's NBL1 South and play their home games at the Selkirk Stadium. The team is affiliated with Ballarat Basketball Associat ...

in the SEABL in 2013. For the 2015 SEABL season, he returned to the Dandenong Rangers. For the

2015–16 NBL season The 2015–16 NBL season was the 38th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 7 October 2015 and 14 February 2016, followed by a post-season featuri ...

, Walker played for the

. He returned for another season with Dandenong in 2016. After having a pre-season stint with the

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL f ...

, Walker joined the

in September 2016 as an injury replacement for Matthew Knight. On 20 October 2016, after Knight was given the all-clear to return to action, Walker was removed from the active 11-man playing roster. Despite being unable to return to the court for the Wildcats for the remainder of the 2016–17 season, Walker remained a big part of the playing group, completed every training session and excelled in his community work off the court. He was subsequently a member of the championship-winning team in March 2017, and at the Wildcats MVP Ball, he was named the recipient of the Coaches' Award. After playing in the

Queensland Basketball League NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...

with the Mackay Meteors during the 2017 off-season, Walker re-joined the Wildcats for the 2017–18 season as a full-time player. On 8 December 2017, Walker had 12 points and 16 rebounds in an 88–79 win over the Adelaide 36ers. Twelve of his 16 rebounds were offensive, the most ever recorded in the NBL's 40-minute era. After a short off-season stint with the

Frankston Blues Frankston Blues is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Frankston & District Basketball Association (FDBA), the major administrative basketball organisa ...

in the SEABL, Walker joined the

for the

2018–19 NBL season The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed ...

. Following the season, the Taipans cut ties with Walker. In April 2019, Walker joined the

Nunawading Spectres Nunawading Spectres is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Melbourne East Basketball Association (MEBA), the major administrative basketball o ...

of the

NBL1 NBL1 is a semi-professional basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Australia, consisting of NBL1 South, South, NBL1 North, North, NBL1 Central, Central, NBL1 West, West and NBL1 East, East Conferences with both men's and women's compet ...

. In August 2019, he helped the Spectres win the NBL1 championship. On 2 September 2019, Walker signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2019–20 NBL season. Walker announced his retirement from the NBL on 1 February 2021. In March 2022, Walker joined the

of the

. He returned to the Hawks for the 2023 NBL1 East season.

National team career

Walker helped Australia win silver at the

2023 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup The 2023 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup was the sixth edition of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup. There are 80 games being played in 2023, with half in the qualification draw and the other half in the main draw. The men and women's champions will win a spot at one of ...

and then competed at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup.

Personal life

Walker is the son of Robert and Sharyn, and has a sister named Ashleigh.

References

External links

Saint Mary's bioTake 40: Lucas Walker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Lucas 1984 births Living people Adelaide 36ers players Australian men's basketball players Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Basketball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Cairns Taipans players Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball Forwards (basketball) Melbourne Tigers players Melbourne United players Montana State Billings Yellowjackets men's basketball players Perth Wildcats players Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball players Sportspeople from Launceston, Tasmania Sydney Kings players Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Sportsmen from Tasmania