Wally Walker

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Walter (Wally) Frederick Walker (born July 18, 1954, in Millersville, Pennsylvania) is an American former professional basketball player. Walker is best known for his National Basketball Association career - both as a player and as a front office executive - for the Seattle SuperSonics.

[edit] Collegiate career

A prolific frontcourt scorer, "Wonderful" Wally Walker led the University of Virginia Cavaliers to its only Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship and its first NCAA Tournament berth in 1976.

He is the only Cavalier to receive the Everett Case Award as the ACC Tournament's Most Valuable Player following Virginia's upset of three nationally-ranked teams en route to the ACC title. Enjoying one of the finest individual seasons ever by a Cavalier cager during the 1975-76 season, Walker scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the 1976 tournament championship game against the University of North Carolina.

Walker's scoring average of 22.1 points during the 1975-76 season ranks as the sixth best in UVa history and his 1,849 career points is sixth on the all-time Cavalier list. He was a first-team Academic All American in 1976. His number 41 was retired by Virginia. The Portland Trailblazers took him in the first round of the 1976 draft, the fifth overall pick.

[edit] Playing career

His playing career averages were 7.0 points and 3.1 rebounds [1] during eight years with Portland, Seattle and Houston. He did, however, have the good fortune to win two championship rings (with Portland and Seattle) in his first and third seasons. He was a starter for the Sonics in 1981-82 and the next season for the Houston Rockets. After retiring in 1984, Walker enrolled in - and received an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, graduating in 1987. He worked for seven years at Goldman Sachs [2]and also started his own money management business, Walker Capital, before returning to the NBA in the early 90s as a part-time TV commentator and consultant for his former team, the Seattle SuperSonics, owned by, Barry Ackerley.

[edit] Front office

Following the 1993-94 NBA season, Walker was named by Ackerley to be President and General Manager of the team. The Sonics would continue to be successful for the next four seasons with a roster built primarily around Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins, Nate McMillan and Hersey Hawkins. The 1997-98 Sonics, which won the Pacific Division with a record of 61-21, included only four players who remained from Walker's first team in 1994.

However, Walker's standing with Seattle fans became more tenuous following the Western Conference Championship 1995-96 season when Walker signed unproven center, Jim McIlvaine, to a seven-year, $33.6 million contract. Walker perplexed some fans by his refusal to re-sign successful coach, George Karl, who would go on to appear in five playoffs between 1999-2005 as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. Karl lead the Bucks to within one win of the NBA Finals in 2001,and his 2002 Bucks team suffered one of the worst regular season collapes in NBA history. He was fired by the Bucks with one year remaining on his contract, in 2003. McIlvaine was traded after two seasons with the Sonics. While he was a bust as a free agent signing, the team actually won the Pacific Division both years, 1996-1997 and 1997-1998, that he was the Sonics' starting center

The team declined from its peak of the 90s, but still made the playoffs in 2000, 2002 and 2005. Walker handed out long-term contracts to center who were unproven, including Jerome James. Jerome James and McIlvaine would be the only of these players to advance to the second round of the playoffs after signing with the Sonics. James signed a 5 year, $30 million contract, with the New York Knicks in July,2005.

The next season (2004-2005) the Sonics would win the Northwest Division with a record of 52-30, the fourth Division Title that the Sonics won while Walker was team President. During the twelve seasons that he held the title of team President, the Sonics had the fifth best winning percentage (59%) in the NBA, behind only the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers. Sonic drafts between 1998 and 2003 were rated the best in the NBA by The New York Times. During his 12 years as president, the Sonics selected future NBA starters Eric Snow, Mark Blount, Rashard Lewis, Earl Watson and now Mikael Gelabale, all in the second round. The Sonics were represented by at least one player in the All Star game all 12 years of Walker's tenure. He also served as President of the WNBA Seattle Storm, who won the WNBA championship in 2004.

In an October, 2005 article with local sportswriter Frank Hughes [3], Walker uttered the line, "I am responsible for all of it" in reference to his power and decision-making within the organization. On October 31, 2006 the Sonics were sold to a group from Oklahoma City led by Clay Bennett, which ended Walker's front office tenure and minority ownership with the team.

Preceded by Dianne Baker Junior Bridgeman Pat Haden Lisa Rosenblum John Dickson Stufflebeem John Trembley

Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) Class of 2001 Alpha V. Alexander Archie Griffin Steve Largent Steve Raible Lee Roy Selmon Wally Walker

Succeeded by Richard C. Chapman Maurice "Bo" Ellis Herman Frazier Betsy King John Naber Rodney E. Slater