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Wali Jones
Personal information
Born (1942-02-14) February 14, 1942 (age 82)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality American
High school Overbrook
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College Villanova (1961–1964)
NBA Draft 1964 / Round: 3 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Pro career 1964–1976
Career history
1964–1965 Baltimore Bullets
1965–1971 Philadelphia 76ers
1971–1973 Milwaukee Bucks
1974–1975 Utah Stars
1975–1976 Detroit Pistons
1976 Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA champion (1967)
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (1965)
  • Third-team All-American – UPI (1964)
  • 2× Robert V. Geasey Trophy winner (1963, 1964)
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points 6,672 (9.8 ppg)
Rebounds 1,471 (2.2 rpg)
Assists 2,099 (3.1 apg)

Walter Jones (born February 14, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) guard.

Early life

Born in Philadelphia, Jones played at Overbrook High School, the same school that had produced Wilt Chamberlain a few years earlier. He played college ball for coach Jack Kraft at Villanova University where he would earn Philadelphia's BIG-5 Player of the Year honors 2x in a row for 1963 and 1964 and become a 3rd-Team All-American as a senior.

Professional career

In his first NBA season, Jones played for the Baltimore Bullets and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. The next season, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers where he would play for the next six years.

Jones and Hal Greer were the starting guards on the title-winning 1966–67 76ers team that also featured Chamberlain, Chet Walker, Lucious Jackson, Billy Cunningham, and fellow Villanovan Bill Melchionni. Jones made the 76ers' starting lineup after Larry Costello tore his Achilles tendon on January 6, 1967. Jones played a key role during the 1967 NBA Finals. In Game 1 of the series, Jones scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 8 assists during a 141–135 win.

During the 1968 playoffs, before the start of the Eastern Division Finals against the Boston Celtics, news broke of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Several 76ers, including Jones and Chamberlain, were vocally opposed to playing the game; however, they were outvoted by the rest of the team.

Later, Jones played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. In Milwaukee, Jones became involved in a contract dispute which saw him suspended, placed on waivers, and ultimately released. ..... Ultimately, Jones reached a contract settlement with the Bucks and was released.

Jones then joined the Utah Stars before retiring after a final stint with the Sixers in 1976.

Jones' son Askia is the third-leading scorer in Kansas State University basketball history and played briefly in the NBA himself, with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1964–65 Baltimore 77 16.2 .375 .728 1.8 2.6 5.3
1965–66 Philadelphia 80* 27.5 .370 .744 2.1 3.4 9.0
1966–67† Philadelphia 81* 27.8 .431 .838 3.3 3.7 13.2
1967–68 Philadelphia 77 26.7 .397 .787 2.8 3.2 12.8
1968–69 Philadelphia 81 28.9 .430 .809 3.1 3.6 13.2
1969–70 Philadelphia 78 22.3 .430 .841 2.2 3.5 11.8
1970–71 Philadelphia 41 23.5 .402 .782 1.6 3.1 10.1
1971–72 Milwaukee 48 21.5 .407 .822 1.6 2.9 7.5
1972–73 Milwaukee 27 15.5 .407 .889 1.1 2.1 5.0
1975–76 Detroit 1 19.0 .364 .000 0.0 2.0 2.0 0.0 8.0
1975–76 Philadelphia 16 9.8 .500 .692 0.6 1.9 0.3 0.0 2.9
Career 607 23.8 .409 .800 2.3 3.2 0.4 0.0 10.1

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1964–65 Baltimore 10 16.2 .460 .750 2.0 1.8 7.3
1965–66 Philadelphia 5 31.2 .325 .682 3.0 3.6 13.0
1966–67† Philadelphia 15* 31.7 .447 .776 2.8 4.1 17.5
1967–68 Philadelphia 13 29.8 .358 .789 2.4 3.0 14.1
1968–69 Philadelphia 5 20.6 .267 .800 3.2 1.8 6.4
1969–70 Philadelphia 5 32.0 .523 .786 2.2 4.8 15.8
1970–71 Philadelphia 7 16.4 .365 .769 1.7 1.6 6.9
1971–72 Milwaukee 9 22.2 .439 .857 2.0 2.2 10.0
1975–76 Philadelphia 1 2.0 .000 .000 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Career 70 25.2 .406 .777 2.4 2.9 0.0 0.0 11.9

ABA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974–75 Utah 71 18.9 .405 .240 .823 1.1 2.1 0.6 0.0 7.5
Career 71 18.9 .405 .240 .823 1.1 2.1 0.6 0.0 7.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974–75 Utah 5 9.2 .381 .000 1.000 0.4 0.8 0.8 0.0 4.4
Career 5 9.2 .381 .000 1.000 0.4 0.8 0.8 0.0 4.4

See also

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