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James "Jimmy" Walker (April 8, 1944 – July 2, 2007) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" (1.91 m) guard, he played nine seasons (1967–1976) in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City Kings.〔(AP via ''Kansas City Star'', "JIMMY WALKER | Former Kings player dies" ) 3 July 2007〕 Walker was a two-time All-Star who scored 11,655 points in his career. He was also the father of former NBA player Jalen Rose,〔 though he left Rose's mother prior to his birth and took no part in the child's upbringing.〔(''Detroit Free Press'' "How do you mourn an absent father?" July 8, 2007 )〕 Walker died on July 2, 2007, at the age of 63, from complications related to lung cancer. ==College career== Walker played basketball on the streets of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. Originally a bit overweight as a teen, he worked on his game for hours, even alone, at the Lewis School playground. An older player from Cambridge, Mass., Francis "Rindge" Jefferson, who had played at Kentucky State, took an interest in the 14-year-old Walker, already 6'2". Jefferson worked with the middle school star. A semi-pro team Jefferson was involved in, the Bruins, even took Walker along as a player, by the time he was 15, in statewide semipro tournaments against former college stars. Walker also played with the Bruin Juniors. He starred at Boston Trade High School, and was noticed in the schoolyards by Celtics' star Sam Jones. Jones took an interest in the 6'3" teenager, and steered the average student to his own alma mater, Laurinburg Institute, a black preparatory school in North Carolina once attended by Dizzy Gillespie. At Laurinburg, Walker improved his grades. It was when his cousin Bill Blair was being recruited by Providence College, that he told then-Coach Joe Mullaney, "You should see my cousin Jimmy".〔(''Boston Globe'' "Providence hoops legend Jimmy Walker dies at 63" July 3, 2007 )〕 In Walker's sophomore year, the Friars were the third-ranked team in the nation, but lost a 109-69 forty-point blowout to Princeton and their All American Bill Bradley in the Eastern Regional Finals. The following year, the Friars were set to return all five starters, including James Benedict, Bill Blair and future NBA All-Star Mike Riordan; however, they lost starting center Dexter Westbrook due to academic issues that ultimately forced him out of Providence.〔 At Providence, Walker's game (much as that of Michigan star Cazzie Russell) was compared to that of the premier player of the era, Cincinnati Royals superstar Oscar Robertson. Walker averaged 23 points as a junior, and led the nation with 30 points per game as a senior. His career high of 50 points came in the 1965 Madison Square Garden Holiday Basketball Festival title game, when Providence defeated Bob Cousy's Boston College team 91-86 to win the tournament. For his efforts, Walker was named MVP of the tournament. Walker was also named MVP of the 1966 Holiday Festival when Providence defeated Saint Joseph's University and Cliff Anderson in the title game. With the two awards, Walker was the first player to be named MVP in the Holiday Festival two years in a row. He was also one of the first college players to use the between-the-legs dribble. Walker led the nation in scoring in his senior year of 1966-1967, averaging 30 points a game, without the benefit of a three-point line. Walker's 2,000-plus points led Providence for four decades, until his all-time scoring record was broken in 2005 by Ryan Gomes.〔 Walker was able to accomplish this in only three seasons; at the time, freshmen were not allowed to play varsity basketball. Jimmy Walker ended his college career in the quarterfinals of the 1967 NIT in the last basketball tournament held at the third Madison Square Garden, when he scored 36 points but missed a jump shot at the end of the game as Providence bowed to Marquette 81-80 in overtime. Walker later said that the missed shot was the only thing that went wrong for him in Madison Square Garden. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jimmy Walker (basketball)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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