Kenny Walker (basketball)

Kenneth Walker (born August 18, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played primarily for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] Nicknamed "Sky" Walker, he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1989. He is currently a radio host for WVLK in Lexington, Kentucky.

For the American football defensive lineman, see Kenny Walker (American football). For other people, see Kenneth Walker (disambiguation).

Kenny Walker
Walker at an autograph signing in 2012
Personal information
Born (1964-08-18) August 18, 1964
Roberta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolCrawford County (Roberta, Georgia)
CollegeKentucky (1982–1986)
NBA draft1986: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career1986–1997
PositionSmall forward
Number34, 7, 15
Career history
1986–1991New York Knicks
1991–1992Granollers
1993Teamsystem Fabriano
1993Cáceres
1993–1995Washington Bullets
1996–1997Isuzu Motors Lynx Gigacats / Isuzu Gigacats
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points3,128 (7.0 ppg)
Rebounds1,793 (4.0 rpg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA U19 World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1983 Palma de Mallorca National team

Walker played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a first-team consensus All-American as a senior in 1986, and twice he was named the player of the year in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He was selected by the Knicks in the first round of the 1986 NBA draft with the fifth overall pick.

College career
Kenny Walker's jersey was retired by the University of Kentucky. This banner hangs in Rupp Arena.

Walker was born in Roberta, Georgia. After being named Mr. Basketball in his home state of Georgia in 1982, Walker chose to play collegiately at the University of Kentucky. Walker had a very successful college career, being named to an All-SEC team four times and the All-American team twice.[2] Walker's 1984 Kentucky team made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before losing to the Georgetown Hoyas.

In 1986, Walker set a record by scoring 11 times on 11 field goal attempts in the NCAA tournament.[3]

Professional career

Walker was selected with the 5th pick of the 1986 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.[4] Walker played for five coaches in five years with the Knicks. On February 11, 1989, Walker won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest,[5] competing three days after the death of his father.[6] He also secured third place in the 1990 contest. However, his success on the court was dwindling, and knee injuries forced him to leave the NBA and join the ACB league in Spain.

Walker returned to the NBA in 1993 to play two seasons with the Washington Bullets as a role player. He played a season (c.1998) for the Isuzu Motors Lynx/Giga Cats in Japan before retiring from professional basketball.

Post-retirement

From 2000 to 2021, Walker was the co-host of "Cat Talk,"[7] a syndicated radio call-in show with Wes Strader.

Walker lives in Lexington, and is active in the community, doing local radio and promoting childhood literacy.[8]

Walker is a member of the 2018 Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in a class that includes former NFL star Champ Bailey, and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

References
  1. "Kenny Walker Stats | Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  2. "Former All-American Kenny Walker Selected to Georgia Sports Hall of Fame - University of Kentucky". University of Kentucky. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  3. "NCAA Tournament Capsules". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  4. "Former All-American Kenny Walker Selected to Georgia Sports Hall of Fame - University of Kentucky". University of Kentucky. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  5. "#NYK70 | 1989: Kenny Walker Wins Slam Dunk Contest | New York Knicks". New York Knicks. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  6. "Walker skies to win slam-dunk", Syracuse Herald-American, February 12, 1989, pE-11
  7. "Ex-Cat Kenny Walker mourns loss of Kentuckian 'who treated me like his son'". kentucky. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  8. Burnett, Stephen. "Where are they now: Former Cat Kenny 'Sky' Walker walks tall, promotes literacy programs". Kentucky Forward. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
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