Chicago Bulls: 30 greatest players in franchise history
By Jason Patt
The Bulls acquired Chet Walker in a 1969 trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 6-foot-6 forward spent the last six years of his NBA career in Chicago, and he was an extremely productive player who helped the Bulls reach the postseason in all six of those years.
Walker made the 1970 All-Star Game in his first Bulls season, going for 21.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while starring alongside Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Clem Haskins and Tom Boerwinkle. Walker made the All-Star Game again in 1971, and he scored a career-high 22.0 points per game in both that season and 1971-72.
Walker made two more All-Star Games in Chicago, in 1973 and 1974. He scored nearly 21 points per game in the 1974 playoffs when the Bulls reached the Western Conference Finals, and he went for 17.5 points per game in the playoffs when they returned to the Western Conference Finals in 1975. He scored 17.5 points per game in 47 postseason appearances as a Bull. The forward retired after the 1975 playoff run.
Walker went for 20.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game over his six Bulls seasons. That scoring average is fourth in franchise history, and he’s sixth in total points. He was a terrific free-throw shooter who led the league with an 85.9 percent mark in 1970-71. He’s also third in Offensive Win Shares and Win Shares, plus second in Win Shares per 48 Minutes and Offensive Box Plus/Minus, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Walker was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.