Chet Walker was the No. 3 option on one of the greatest
teams in NBA history who then became the star on the first good Chicago Bulls
team.
He was a winner at every stop. His teams qualified for the
playoffs every year of his 13-year career. He made seven all-star games,
including the 1966-1967 season when he teamed up with Wilt Chamberlain and Hal
Greer on the 76ers team that finally ended Boston’s string of eight straight
NBA titles.
At Syracuse and Philadelphia, he had PERs between 14.3 and
17.9 and only topped 10.0 in win shares in the Sixers’ title season. In my
system, because of Philadelphia’s 68-13 regular season and 11-4 playoff
records, it grades out as Walker’s best season.
After the 1968-1969 season, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls.
He was 29 and players in the 1960s and 1970s typically were declining by then.
Instead, he became the go-to player in Chicago. In six years in Chicago, he had
PERs between 18.5 and 21.8 and topped 10.0 in win shares five of the final six
seasons.
In 1974-1975, at the age of 34, Walker averaged 19.2 points
per game and 5.7 rebounds on 32 minutes per game. He asked for a $200,000
contract from Chicago. When they refused, Walker sued the NBA for violation of
federal antitrust laws. He lost the case and decided to retire. Without Walker,
the Bulls fell from 48 wins to 24.
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Chet
Walker bio info
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Career
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1962-1975
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Games
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1,032
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Points
|
18.2
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Rebounds
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7.1
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Assists
|
2.1
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FG Pct.
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47.0%
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All-Star games
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7
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MVPs
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0
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NBA titles
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1
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Playoff seasons
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13
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Playoff games
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105
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Points
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18.2
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Rebounds
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7.0
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Assists
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2.0
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FG Pct.
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44.9%
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Hall of Fame
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2012
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Top 100
rankings
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||
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Points
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Top 100 ranking
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1-year
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310.89
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69th
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5-year
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1,258.85
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97th
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10-year
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2,332.76
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66th
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Career
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2,914.37
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60th
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Chet
Walker at his peak
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|||
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1966-1967
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Walker
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Top 5
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Points
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PER
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17.9
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23.80
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Win Shares
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10.1
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15.55
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Box +/-
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NA
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NA
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VORP
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NA
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NA
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Total Advanced Stats
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28.0
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39.35
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71.16
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Playoff PER
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17.6
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21.88
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Win Shares
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2.3
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2.26
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Box +/-
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NA
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NA
|
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VORP
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NA
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NA
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Total Advanced Stats
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19.9
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24.14
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82.44
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Reg. Season Win %
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83.95
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83.95
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Playoff Win %
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73.33
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73.33
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MVP Voting (75 points)
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0
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0
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Playoff MVP (25 points)
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0
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0
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Total Score
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310.89
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Walker’s 10 greatest seasons
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1966-1967
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310.89
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1967-1968
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241.66
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1974-1975
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238.74
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1972-1973
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234.80
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1973-1974
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232.76
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1962-1963
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231.09
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1970-1971
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229.49
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1964-1965
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212.40
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1968-1969
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201.53
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1971-1972
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199.40
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Career
winning percentage
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|||
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W
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L
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Pct.
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Regular Season
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647
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384
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62.75%
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Playoffs
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47
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58
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44.76%
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