Walt Piatkowski

Walter Piatkowski, Jr. (born June 11, 1945) is a retired American professional basketball player.

Walt Piatkowski

Piatkowski as a junior at BGSU.
Personal information
Born	(1945-06-11) June 11, 1945 Toledo, Ohio
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Woodward (Toledo, Ohio)
College	Bowling Green (1965–1968)
NBA draft	1968: 8th round, 99th overall pick
Selected by the San Francisco Warriors
Position	Power forward
Number	34, 43
Career history
1968–1970	Denver Rockets
1971–1972	The Floridians
Career highlights and awards
ABA All-Rookie (1969) 2× First-team All-MAC (1966, 1968) Second-team All-MAC (1967)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

A 6'8" forward, Piatkowski began his career at Toledo Woodward High School then starred at Bowling Green State University, where he was a Converse Honorable Mention All-American in 1968.[1] He then played in the American Basketball Association from 1968 to 1970 as a member of the Denver Rockets. He received ABA All-Rookie Team honors with the Rockets in 1969 after averaging 12.2 points per game.[2] When the Rockets acquired Spencer Haywood the next season, Piatkowski saw his playing time drop, and in 1970, he briefly retired to work as a teacher. He returned to the ABA in the fall of 1971 as a member of The Floridians, but he was waived just a month into that season. He later became a salesman with a paper company.[3] He is Polish American.[4]

Piatkowski's son Eric Piatkowski played basketball at the University of Nebraska; was drafted into the NBA in 1994 as the 15th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers; and played 14 years in the NBA, mostly with the Los Angeles Clippers.[3]