Basketball Hall of Famer dies at 84
6/13/2024, 6 p.m.
Chet Walker, a key component on one of the most illustrious teams in NBA history with the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers, died Saturday, June 8, 2024. He was 84.
Known as “Chet the Jet,” the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 19.3 points and 8.1 rebounds for the 76ers team that posted a 68-13 regular season record before winning the NBA title.
Philadelphia defeated Cincinnati 3-1 in the semifinals, Boston 4-1 in the Eastern finals and Golden State 4-2 to claim the championship. The 76ers’ 68-13 mark was the best regular season record at the time, later surpassed by Golden State’s 73-9 in 2015-16,
the Chicago Bulls’ 72-10 in 1995-96 and the Los Angeles Lakers’ 69-13 in 1971-72.
The 1966-67 Sixers were also one of the first teams to have an all-Black starting lineup of Walker, Luke Jackson, Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer and Wali Jones.
A two-time All-American at Bradley, Walker was the 12th overall pick of the 1962 draft by the Syracuse Nationals, who later relocated and became the 76ers. He played 13 seasons, averaged 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds and was a seven-time All-Star for Syracuse, Philadelphia and the Chicago Bulls.