Walt Bellamy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Center / Power forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Born | July 24, 1939 New Bern, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Draft | 1st pick, 1st overall, 1961 Chicago Packers |
| Pro career | 1961–1974 |
| Former teams | Chicago Zephyrs (1961–1962) Chicago Packers (1962–1963) Baltimore Bullets (1963–1965) New York Knicks ((1965–1968) Detroit Pistons (1968–1969) Atlanta Hawks (1970–1973) New Orleans Jazz (1973–1974) |
| Awards | NBA Rookie Of The Year, 1961-62 All-Big Ten at Indiana University, 1960, 1961 4-Time NBA All-Star, 1962-65 All-NBA First-Team, 1962 |
| Hall of Fame | 1993 NBA Hall Of Fame Inductee |
| Olympic medalist | |||
| [[Image: | 200px]] Walt Bellamy |
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| Medal record | |||
Competitor for  United States |
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| Men's Basketball | |||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Gold | 1960 Rome | Team Competition | |
Walter Jones Bellamy (born July 24, 1939 in New Bern, North Carolina) is a retired American professional basketball player.
Contents |
[edit] The 1960 Olympics
Bellamy was the starting center on the gold medal-winning American basketball team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Ten of the twelve college players on the undefeated American squad went on to play professionally in the NBA, including future Hall-of-Famers Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry Lucas.
[edit] NBA career
Bellamy had a stellar 14 year career in the NBA and was the NBA first overall draft pick in 1961. Bellamy was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1962 after having arguably one of the three greatest rookie seasons in NBA history (along with Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). His 31.6 point per game average that season is second all-time for a rookie to Wilt Chamberlain's 37.6, and the 19.0 rebounds per game he averaged that season is third best all-time for a rookie (to Chamberlain and Bill Russell). Bellamy also led the NBA in field goal percentage in his rookie season, and had a 23 point 17 rebound performance in the All-Star Game.
Due to trade scheduling skews during the 1968-69 season, Bellamy set the still-standing record for NBA games played in a single season with 88.
Bellamy ended his NBA career with 20,941 points and 14,241 rebounds. Bellamy was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
[edit] Other notes
Bellamy is a prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. His half-brother is professional boxer Ron Bellamy.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Oscar Robertson |
NBA first overall draft pick 1961 NBA Draft |
Succeeded by Bill McGill |
| Preceded by Oscar Robertson |
NBA Rookie of the Year 1962 |
Succeeded by Terry Dischinger |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Bellamy, Walt |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New Bern, North Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
