Luke Walton
 | |
| No. 4 – Los Angeles Lakers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small Forward |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 28, 1980 San Diego, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | University of San Diego |
| College | Arizona |
| NBA draft | 2003: 2nd round, 32nd overall pick |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Playing career | 2003–present |
| Career history | |
| 2003–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His primary position is at small forward. After the 2010 NBA Finals, Walton and his father Hall of Famer Bill Walton became the first and only (as of 2010) father and son to both have won multiple NBA championships. Bill won in 1977 and 1986, and Luke in 2009 and 2010.[1] On August 22, 2011 Walton joined the University of Memphis staff as an assistant basketball coach.
Biography
Early life
Luke Walton a scrub and he is garbage. Also he is the son of former NBA great Bill Walton, and was named after Bill's close friend and former Portland Trail Blazers teammate Maurice Lucas. Luke Walton is Bi-sexual.He has three brothers — Adam, Nathan (who unsuccessfully ran for governor during the 2003 California recall), and Chris. He attended University of San Diego High School in San Diego, California.
College
After graduating from University of San Diego High School in 1998, Walton enrolled at the University of Arizona and majored in family studies and human development. There, he played for the Wildcats under coach Lute Olson. In his junior year, Walton averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. As a fifth-year senior, he averaged 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.9 steals.
Walton graduated from Arizona at the end of 2003, and was selected by the Lakers in the 2003 NBA Draft with the third pick of the second round (32nd overall). Standing at 6 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 235 pounds, Walton has been with the Lakers for his entire NBA career.
Coaching
On August 22, 2011, the University of Memphis announced they would hire Walton as an assistant coach until the 2011 NBA Lockout ends [2]. Walton played at the University of Arizona where current Memphis head coach Josh Pastner was also a player/assistant.
NBA career
Walton suffered an injury in the 2004 preseason and was unable to find a place in Rudy Tomjanovich's rotation, but returned to a regular spot in the lineup after the coach's resignation midway through the season.
In 2006–07, Walton had a career year, with career high per game averages in minutes, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, steals, blocks, rebounds, assists and points. His PER also reached a career high. Following the season, on July 12, 2007, Walton was signed to a 6-year, $30 million contract.[3]
His career high game was on December 8, 2006 against the Atlanta Hawks, where he had 25 points. He was playing some of his best basketball until his injury on January 26, 2007 occurred.
Personal
On his right arm, there is a tattoo of four Grateful Dead-type dancing skeletons, each one with a basketball; the skeletons represent Luke and his three brothers.
In 2006, Walton made a cameo appearance on the television soap opera The Young and the Restless.[4]
In December 2008, a woman named Stacy Elizabeth Beshear [1] pleaded no contest to charges of stalking Walton; she was arrested after she pulled up to Walton's car and pretended to fire gunshots at him with her hand. She was sentenced to three years' probation, told to attend weekly counseling sessions for a year and ordered to stay away for three years from Walton's home and from the Lakers' games and practices.[5]
NBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | L.A. Lakers | 72 | 2 | 10.1 | .425 | .333 | .705 | 1.8 | 1.6 | .4 | .1 | 2.4 |
| 2004–05 | L.A. Lakers | 61 | 5 | 12.6 | .411 | .262 | .708 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .4 | .2 | 3.2 |
| 2005–06 | L.A. Lakers | 69 | 6 | 19.3 | .412 | .327 | .750 | 3.6 | 2.3 | .6 | .2 | 5.0 |
| 2006–07 | L.A. Lakers | 60 | 60 | 33.0 | .474 | .387 | .745 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 11.4 |
| 2007–08 | L.A. Lakers | 74 | 31 | 23.4 | .450 | .333 | .706 | 3.9 | 2.9 | .8 | .2 | 7.2 |
| 2008–09 | L.A. Lakers | 65 | 34 | 17.9 | .436 | .298 | .719 | 2.8 | 2.7 | .5 | .2 | 5.0 |
| 2009–10 | L.A. Lakers | 29 | 0 | 9.4 | .357 | .412 | .500 | 1.3 | 1.4 | .3 | .0 | 2.4 |
| 2010–11 | L.A. Lakers | 54 | 0 | 9.0 | .328 | .235 | .700 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .2 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Career | 484 | 138 | 17.5 | .433 | .329 | .724 | 2.9 | 2.3 | .6 | .2 | 5.0 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | L.A. Lakers | 17 | 0 | 7.9 | .345 | .385 | .700 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .4 | .1 | 1.9 |
| 2006 | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 7 | 33.6 | .458 | .364 | 1.000 | 6.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .1 | 12.1 |
| 2007 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 5 | 25.6 | .389 | .417 | .750 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | .2 | 7.2 |
| 2008 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 0 | 15.8 | .427 | .313 | .611 | 2.5 | 2.1 | .7 | .1 | 3.8 |
| 2009 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 0 | 16.8 | .454 | .423 | .722 | 2.6 | 2.0 | .5 | .2 | 6.0 |
| 2010 | L.A. Lakers | 16 | 0 | 6.0 | .304 | .222 | .500 | .5 | .9 | .1 | .1 | 1.1 |
| 2011 | L.A. Lakers | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 88 | 12 | 14.6 | .420 | .360 | .701 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .5 | .2 | 4.3 |
Notes
- ^ Tomasson, Chris (2010-06-15). "Bill Walton "I'm Back In The Game Of Life"". NBA.FanHouse.com. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082211aaa.html
- ^ Walton to stay with Lakers after agreeing to 6-year, $30 million deal
- ^ SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports – Walton to make acting debut on 'Young and Restless'
- ^ Woman Pleads No Contest to Stalking Walton Sports Illustrated, December 19, 2008