Chet Walker, the NBA Hall of Fame forward and seven-time NBA All-Star who was nicknamed “The Jet” for his speed, has died at the age of 84, the NBA announced.
A member of the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor, Walker was selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1962 NBA Draft and stayed with the team after it relocated to Philadelphia and became the 76ers. He was part of the 1966-67 team that won a then-record 68 regular season games, ending the Boston Celtics' eight-year championship streak. Walker averaged 19.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game that season on a team that also featured Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Grier and Billy Cunningham.
In 1969, the Sixers traded Walker to the Bulls, where he became a staple of those early Bulls teams along with Bob Love, Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier.
Walker averaged 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during his 13-year career. Only John Havlicek won more win shares than Walker from his 1962 draft class.
Walker attended High School in Benton Harbor, Michigan, before enrolling at Bradley University. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Bulls unveiled their first rings earlier this year, and in addition to Walker, the first wave of recipients included Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, Artis Gilmore, Johnny Carr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause, Toni Kukoc, Tex Winter, Love and Sloan.
