Walter Davis, a University of North Carolina basketball legend and an Olympic gold medalist for the United States, died of “natural causes” Thursday, the school announced. He was 69.
Davis — the uncle of current UNC coach Hubert Davis — was a two-time All-ACC honoree (1976 and 1977) with the Tar Heels, leading the team to an ACC tournament win and to the NCAA championship game. The guard scored 1,863 points and put up 670 rebounds and 409 assists playing for coach Dean Smith.
The Phoenix Suns selected Davis with the No. 5 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. He was named the 1977-78 Rookie of the Year and became a six-time All-Star over his 15-year NBA career, which also included stints with the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers. Davis made two All-NBA teams, averaging 18.9 points on 51.1 percent shooting to go along with 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game before retiring in 1992.
“I am going to miss (Davis) dearly,” former Tar Heel and NBA player Phil Ford said. “I’m happy I got to see him a couple of weeks ago in Chapel Hill, but this is very hard. … I’m getting calls from people all around the country — John Lucas, Scott May, Quinn Buckner, David Thompson. Everybody thought the world about Walt, just like all of us Carolina players and fans did.
Davis — the uncle of current UNC coach Hubert Davis — was a two-time All-ACC honoree (1976 and 1977) with the Tar Heels, leading the team to an ACC tournament win and to the NCAA championship game. The guard scored 1,863 points and put up 670 rebounds and 409 assists playing for coach Dean Smith.
The Phoenix Suns selected Davis with the No. 5 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. He was named the 1977-78 Rookie of the Year and became a six-time All-Star over his 15-year NBA career, which also included stints with the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers. Davis made two All-NBA teams, averaging 18.9 points on 51.1 percent shooting to go along with 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game before retiring in 1992.
“I am going to miss (Davis) dearly,” former Tar Heel and NBA player Phil Ford said. “I’m happy I got to see him a couple of weeks ago in Chapel Hill, but this is very hard. … I’m getting calls from people all around the country — John Lucas, Scott May, Quinn Buckner, David Thompson. Everybody thought the world about Walt, just like all of us Carolina players and fans did.