Walter Robert Szczerbiak Jr. ( ; born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current color analyst for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

on MSG Network. He played 10 seasons for four teams in the National Basketball Association, and was named an NBA All-Star during the 2001-02 season. He played college basketball for Miami University, and is one of five players to have his Miami jersey retired.

Early life

Szczerbiak was born in Madrid, Spain, to Marilyn and

Walter Szczerbiak Walter Szczerbiak Sr. (born August 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player. At , Szczerbiak played at the small forward position. On February 3, 2008, Szczerbiak was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities ...

, a former

ABA ABA may refer to: Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States * Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station * Australian Broadcasting Authority Education * Académie des Beaux- ...

player who helped lead

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

to three FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague) championships. While there, he set a Spanish League single-game scoring record, with 65 points. Szczerbiak spent much of his childhood in Europe, during his father's playing career, where he was taught how to speak Spanish and Italian fluently. When Walt retired, he moved his family back to his native

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Szczerbiak played basketball at Cold Spring Harbor High School in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. As a senior in the 1994–95 season he averaged 36.6 points per game and 15.9 rebounds. He was named the winner of the Richard Sangler Award as Nassau County's outstanding boys' basketball player. Szczerbiak competed for the Long Island team in the 1994

Empire State Games The Empire State Games are a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. It was a member of the National Congress of State ...

. Despite his outstanding high school statistics, the small size of Szczerbiak's school did not win him the attention of East Coast college coaches, and he went unrecruited.

College career

During the fall of his high school senior year, Szczerbiak and his parents visited the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio. The following Monday, despite Walt's wishes for his son to wait before making a decision, Szczerbiak called coach Herb Sendek and committed to play for Miami. Herb Sendek left Miami after 95/96 season and coach Charlie Coles took over and developed Wally Szczerbiak into a starting position. In his first two seasons there Szczerbiak averaged 8.0 and 12.8 points. As a junior in 1997–98, he burst onto the scene as one of college basketball's leading scorers, averaging 24.4 points per game and earning first-team All-MAC honors despite missing several games with a broken right wrist. In his senior season, Szczerbiak averaged 24.2 points per game and led the Redhawks to the Sweet 16 in the

1999 NCAA tournament The 1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the champi ...

as a #10 seed. Szczerbiak scored a career-high 43 points in a first-round win over #7 seed Washington. He followed that with 24 points in a second round toppling of #2 seed Utah, leading the Redhawks to the Sweet 16. Despite Szczerbiak's 23-point performance, they would eventually lose to Kentucky 58–43. Miami finished the season 24–8. Szczerbiak was named MAC Player of the Year, and first-team All-American by ''Basketball News'' and '' Sports Illustrated'' and second-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP). Szczerbiak finished his college career with a degree in marketing and Miami's second all-time leading scorer with 1,847 points. In 2001, Szczerbiak became the fifth Miami player to have his jersey retired (#32). In 2009, he was inducted into the Miami University Athletic Hall of Fame.

NBA career

Minnesota Timberwolves (1999–2006)

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Szczerbiak 6th overall in the 1999 NBA draft. His best year as a pro was in 2002, when he was a coaches' selection to the Western Conference All-Star team. Later he tied a Timberwolves franchise record of 44 points on April 13, 2003, since broken by Kevin Love, Corey Brewer, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns,

Mo Williams Maurice Williams (born December 19, 1982) is the head men's basketball coach at Jackson State University and a former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high scho ...

, and

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted ...

. Szczerbiak was coming off the bench for the

2004–05 NBA season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the defending-champion Detroit Pistons, 4–3, i ...

. He was uncomfortable with the role and wanted to be a starter. In the 2005–06 season, the former All-Star returned to the starting role.

Boston Celtics (2006–2007)

On January 26, 2006, Szczerbiak, along with Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a conditional first-round draft pick, was traded 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 ...

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 ...

Mark Blount Mark D. Blount ( ; born November 30, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball center with four teams in the National Basketball Association between 2000 and 2009. Career Blount spent his freshman year of high school in Summerville, ...

, Marcus Banks,

Justin Reed Justin Michael Reed (January 16, 1982 – October 20, 2017) was an American professional basketball player, who played at the small forward position. College career Reed led the University of Mississippi's Ole Miss Rebels as part of the "Provin ...

, and two second-round draft picks. Szczerbiak underwent surgery in the 2006 offseason to fix a knee which had been injured for several months. In the 2006–07 season, Szczerbiak played well early on, including a 35-point performance against the Charlotte Bobcats early in the season. However, he was soon plagued by several injuries to both ankles, which greatly affected his shooting and jumping ability. Szczerbiak decided to have season-ending surgery on his ankles.

Seattle SuperSonics (2007–2008)

On June 28 (the night of the 2007 NBA draft), the Celtics traded Szczerbiak to the Seattle SuperSonics along with Delonte West and Jeff Green (the 5th overall pick) for Ray Allen and Glen Davis (35th overall).

Cleveland Cavaliers (2008–2009)

Wally Szczerbiak Cleveland Cavaliers cropped

On February 21, 2008, Szczerbiak and West were traded by the SuperSonics to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in a three-way deal involving the Chicago Bulls that sent

Ira Newble Ira Reynolds Newble II (born January 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association, NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Los ...

and Donyell Marshall from Cleveland to Seattle, Adrian Griffin from Chicago to Seattle, Cedric Simmons,

Drew Gooden Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a broadcaster for NBC Sports Washington. The power forward played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

, Larry Hughes, and

Shannon Brown Shannon Brown (born November 29, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball for Michigan State ...

, from Cleveland to Chicago, and

Ben Wallace Ben Wallace most commonly refers to: *Ben Wallace (basketball) (born 1974), American basketball player *Ben Wallace (politician) (born 1970), British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace may also refer to: * Benjamin Wallace (circus owner) (1 ...

and Joe Smith from Chicago to Cleveland. Szczerbiak played in 25 regular season games (one start) with the Cavaliers averaging 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds. He scored 18 points against Detroit on April 16, 2008. Between the SuperSonics and the Cavaliers, Szczerbiak played in 75 games (two starts) and averaged 11.5 points and 2.9 rebounds. During the 2008 NBA Playoffs Szczerbiak started at shooting guard for the Cavaliers, helping the Cavs defeat the Washington Wizards in the first-round by putting up 26 points and shooting 6–13 from the 3 point line in Game Six. For the playoffs, Szczerbiak averaged 10.8 points per game. During the 2008–2009 NBA season, Szczerbiak played in 74 games, starting in 5 of them. Given 20 minutes a game, Szczerbiak averaged 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting .450% from the field and .411% from the 3-point line.

Retirement

Szczerbiak was in discussions with the Denver Nuggets in August 2009, about joining the team on a one-year contract. He reportedly rejected a veteran's minimum contract offer from Denver, opting instead to continue to rehabilitate his knee and possibly test the free agent market later. Szczerbiak harbored hopes of signing a one-year contract with the

. However, on November 5, 2009, Szczerbiak revealed he'd had a third surgery performed on his left knee, which doctors told him would almost certainly end his career. According to his doctors, so little cartilage was left in that knee that a fourth surgery would make it difficult for him to have a normal life.

Broadcasting career

Szczerbiak succeeded in making the transition to sports broadcasting, becoming a basketball analyst for CBS College Sports. Currently, Szczerbiak is an analyst at MSG Network covering the

as a color analyst backup for Walt Frazier and contributor to the teams' post-game broadcasts.

Personal life

Szczerbiak is of Ukrainian origin: his grandparents were Ukrainians and met in a refugee camp in West Germany after World War II. After the war, they emigrated to Pittsburgh. Szczerbiak has a brother, Will, nine years his junior, and a sister, Wendy, thirteen years younger. Wendy played college basketball for Lehigh University. In 2013, Szczerbiak was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 73 , , 53 , , 29.7 , , .511 , , .359 , , .826 , , 3.7 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 82 , , 82 , , 34.8 , , .510 , , .338 , , .870 , , 5.5 , , 3.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 82 , , 82 , , 38.0 , , .508 , , .455 , , .831 , , 4.8 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 52 , , 42 , , 35.3 , , .481 , , .421 , , .867 , , 4.6 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , 17.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 28 , , 0 , , 22.2 , , .449 , , .435 , , .828 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .0 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 81 , , 37 , , 31.6 , , .506 , , .373 , , .855 , , 3.7 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , 15.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Minnesota , 40 , , 40 , , 38.9 , , .495 , , .406 , , .896 , , 4.8 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , .4 , , 20.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Boston , 32 , , 31 , , 36.7 , , .476 , , .393 , , .898 , , 3.8 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 17.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Boston , 32 , , 19 , , 28.1 , , .415 , , .415 , , .897 , , 3.1 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .1 , , 15.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Seattle , 50 , , 1 , , 23.6 , , .460 , , .428 , , .843 , , 2.7 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 13.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Cleveland , 25 , , 1 , , 22.2 , , .359 , , .365 , , .878 , , 3.2 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , 8.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Cleveland , 74 , , 5 , , 20.6 , , .450 , , .411 , , .849 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 7.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 651 , , 393 , , 30.8 , , .485 , , .406 , , .860 , , 4.0 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , 14.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .667 , , .667 , , .000 , , 3.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 10.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, align="left" , Minnesota , 4 , , 4 , , 23.5 , , .400 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, align="left" , Minnesota , 4 , , 4 , , 35.8 , , .486 , , .000 , , .800 , , 4.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, align="left" , Minnesota , 3 , , 3 , , 43.7 , , .477 , , .222 , , .889 , , 7.0 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 20.0 , - , align="left" ,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, align="left" , Minnesota , 6 , , 6 , , 42.0 , , .475 , , .214 , , .867 , , 5.0 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, align="left" , Minnesota , 12 , , 0 , , 24.8 , , .420 , , .345 , , .927 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .2 , , 11.8 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, align="left" , Cleveland , 13 , , 13 , , 28.8 , , .376 , , .323 , , .929 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .1 , , 10.8 , - , align="left" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, align="left" , Cleveland , 12 , , 0 , , 12.8 , , .444 , , .167 , , .818 , , 2.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 54 , , 30 , , 26.8 , , .427 , , .285 , , .882 , , 3.1 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , 10.2

References

External links

NBA profile (archived from 2008)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szczerbiak, Wally 1977 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Ukrainian descent Basketball players from Madrid Basketball players from New York (state) Boston Celtics players Cleveland Cavaliers players Cold Spring Harbor Jr./Sr. High School alumni Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games Goodwill Games medalists in basketball Miami RedHawks men's basketball players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association All-Stars People from Cold Spring Harbor, New York Seattle SuperSonics players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Suffolk County, New York United States men's national basketball team players