Wally Walker is a former professional basketball player who had a successful career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and later became a team executive. He was born on July 18, 1954, in Renton, Washington, and attended the University of Virginia, where he played college basketball for the Cavaliers.
Walker was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft and played for the team for three seasons. He was then traded to the Seattle SuperSonics, where he played for four seasons and helped the team win the NBA championship in 1979. Walker was known for his shooting ability and was a reliable scorer for the SuperSonics.
After his playing career, Walker became a team executive and worked for several NBA teams, including the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Seattle SuperSonics. He was the general manager of the SuperSonics from 1994 to 1999 and helped build a team that reached the NBA Finals in 1996.
Walker was also involved in the creation of the WNBA, the women's professional basketball league, and served as the president and CEO of the Seattle Storm from 2000 to 2008. Under his leadership, the Storm won two WNBA championships in 2004 and 2010.
Throughout his career, Walker was known for his dedication to the game of basketball and his commitment to building successful teams. He was respected by his peers and was a key figure in the development of the NBA and the WNBA. Today, he is remembered as one of the great players and executives in the history of professional basketball.
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