Walter Davis obit

 

Former Phoenix Suns star, UNC great Walter Davis dies at 69

He was not on the list.

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina -- Walter Davis, a five-time NBA All-Star who had his number retired by the Phoenix Suns, has died. He was 69.

Davis was a star in college for North Carolina where he played for the late Dean Smith. It was North Carolina, where Davis' nephew Hubert Davis is the head basketball coach, which announced Water Davis' death Thursday.

The school's release said Walter Davis died Thursday morning of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Davis was drafted fifth overall by Phoenix in 1977 and became the NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 24.2 points a game. He played 11 of his 16 pro seasons with the Suns, who retired his No. 6.

Davis moved to Denver for three seasons and Portland for one before returning to the Nuggets in 1992-93 for his final year.

In college, Davis was practically unstoppable as he led one of the top programs in the game. He helped the Tar Heels to the NCAA title game in 1977, where they lost to Marquette.

Former North Carolina assistant coach and head coach Roy Williams said Smith and assistant coach Bill Guthridge "used to rave about how much fun it was to coach Walter. I got to watch him as a fan and loved getting to know him later."

Davis is 10th all-time in scoring in Tar Heels history. His 106 games with double-figure scoring are fourth all-time at North Carolina, trailing only Phil Ford, Sam Perkins and Tyler Hansbrough.

Ford said he and Davis were best friends almost from the time they met nearly 50 years ago. "He was the best man at my wedding and I was the best man at his," Ford said in a statement.

"He loved me and I loved him," Ford continued. "He was a great, great, great guy that happened to be a great basketball player."

Davis, from Pineville, North Carolina, is part of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He was named to the ACC's 50th anniversary team in 2002.

Davis was a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Second Team member, and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1978. In 1994, the Suns retired his No. 6 jersey and in 2004 he was enshrined in the team's Ring of Honor.

Born in Pineville, North Carolina, Davis was the youngest of 13 children born between 1937 and 1954. His high school teams at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte won three state titles and lost only four games. After his senior year,he prepped at the Sanford School, Hockessin, DE, and made the All-State team in the 1972-73 season.

As a standout college player at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was selected to play on the USA men's basketball team coached by UNC's Dean Smith that won the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. In his freshman year, Davis hit a buzzer-beating jump shot against Duke at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. At Chapel Hill, Davis was called "Sweet D" because of his seemingly effortless, smooth style of play and because of his strong defensive play.

The Suns selected Davis with the fifth pick of the 1977 NBA draft. He made an immediate impact, playing in 81 games and averaging 24.2 points per game in his first season, which would also be his career-high. He won the 1978 Rookie of the Year Award, and earned second team All-NBA honors. Over his first ten seasons, Davis averaged over 20 points per game six times, and earned trips to six All-Star Games.

On February 25, 1983, Davis set an all-time NBA record when he successfully scored his first 34 points before finally missing a shot. He made his first 15 field goals and converted four straight free throws before missing a jumper with 55 seconds left in the game. Larry Costello had formerly held the record, having made all of his attempts on his first 32 points for the Syracuse Nationals in 1961. The following year, during the 1984 NBA Playoffs, Davis led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals, averaging 24.9 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds through 17 games, before Phoenix was eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Over his career, Davis averaged 18.9 points, 3.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. Davis was affectionately known as "The Greyhound" for his speedy style and sleek physical appearance. Suns broadcaster Al McCoy created many alternate nicknames for him, including "The Candyman", "Sweet D" and "The Man with the Velvet Touch." Davis is the Suns' all-time leading scorer with 15,666 points.

Davis's later years with the Suns were marred by recurring back problems and an ugly drug scandal. In 1987, he was called on to testify on illegal drug use by other Suns players in exchange for immunity from prosecution. (He had twice entered rehabilitation clinics to deal with cocaine addiction.).

Davis's decline mirrored the short decline of the Suns franchise, and at the expiration of his contract in 1988 at age 33, the team did not seriously attempt to re-sign him, offering a 1-year contract at half his previous salary.

Davis signed a two-year, $1.35 million deal with the Denver Nuggets as an unrestricted free agent. He ended up playing for two years beyond this contract, and was included in a three-team trade in early 1991 that sent him to the Portland Trail Blazers for half a season. Davis finished 479 points shy of 20,000 points in a career. In the summer of 1991, he returned to Denver to close out his playing career.

 

Career history

1977–1988            Phoenix Suns

1988–1991            Denver Nuggets

1991            Portland Trail Blazers

1991–1992            Denver Nuggets

 

Career highlights and awards

6× NBA All-Star (1978–1981, 1984, 1987)

2× All-NBA Second Team (1978, 1979)

NBA Rookie of the Year (1978)

NBA All-Rookie First Team (1978)

No. 6 retired by Phoenix Suns

First-team All-ACC (1977)

Second-team All-ACC (1976)

 

Career NBA statistics

Points   19,521 (18.9 ppg)

Assists  3,878 (3.8 apg)

Steals   1,280 (1.2 spg)