Chester Walker (born February 22, 1940) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Born in

Bethlehem, Mississippi Bethlehem is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Marshall County, Mississippi, United States. Its ZIP code is 38659. The community is located along Mississippi Highway 349, in the heart of Holly Springs National Forest. ...

, Walker played high school basketball for the

Benton Harbor High School Benton Harbor High School is a high school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, and is part of the Benton Harbor Area Schools. History In 2009, the school received a $52,000 grant from the U.S. federal government's stimulus program to upgr ...

boys basketball team. He graduated from

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...

in 1962 as the school's all-time leading scorer. The Bradley Braves won the NIT Championship in 1957 and 1960. Walker's speed and agility on the court earned him the nickname "Chet the Jet." He probably is best remembered as a starting forward on the 1966–67

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known 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 league's Ea ...

team, which some consider the best NBA team of all time.

NBA career

Walker was drafted by the

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances. 1946– ...

in the

1962 NBA draft The 1962 NBA draft was the 16th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 26, 1962, before the 1962–63 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pla ...

, and was named to the NBA's first All-Rookie Team in 1963. He followed the team to Philadelphia after his rookie season. A seven-time participant in the

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...

, 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 a professional basketball player and coach. Hannum coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and one American Basketball Association (ABA) team to league championships. ...

-coached team, which also featured center

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

, guards

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

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 ...

, 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. Walker played his final six seasons with 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 ...

, 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-throwers five other times. On February 24, 2012 (two days after Walker's 72nd birthday) it was announced that Chet Walker was elected to 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 pres ...

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

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

on September 7, 2012.

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). 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'' and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show '' The Wh ...

)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, 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;",

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

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

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

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

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, 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

Playoffs

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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 Co ...

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, 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 Patriarc ...

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

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime 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 sworn in for a full term ...

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, 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 ...

, 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 Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

† , style="text-align:left;”,

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

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

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

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, 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 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

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

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

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, 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 mean solar tim ...

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, 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 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

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, 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;”,

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, 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;”,

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, 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

References

External links

Official NBA bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Chet 1940 births Living people African-American basketball players 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 National Basketball Association All-Stars People from Benton Harbor, Michigan Philadelphia 76ers players Syracuse Nationals draft picks Syracuse Nationals players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

NBA career

Post playing career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links