The NBA has lost a legend from the 1960s and 1970s as Hall of Fame forward Chet Walker passed away this week. He was 84 years old.
“Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame forward Chet Walker — a seven-time All-Star and a member of the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor — has passed away at 84, per @TheNBPA. Walker won an NBA championship with Philadelphia in 1967 and was a two-time All-American at Bradley,” ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski wrote on Saturday.
Chester “Chet” Walker was a star at Bradley University who went 12th overall to the Syracuse Nationals (later the Philadelphia 76ers) in the 1962 NBA Draft. After earning All-Rookie Team honors in his first year, he would make his first of seven NBA All-Star selections just one year later.
In 1967, Walker averaged 19.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game as the 76ers went 68-13 in the regular season and went on to beat the San Francisco Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Walker would finish his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and was inducted into the Bulls’ Ring of Honor this past year.
Sadly, Walker would have to wait decades for his contributions to basketball to be immortalized. He was finally inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Our hearts go out to Walker’s family and loved ones.