50 Greatest NBA/ABA Players Not In the Hall Of Fame
By Phil Watson
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Walter Davis had been a solid player at North Carolina, solid enough that the Phoenix Suns selected him fifth overall in the 1977 NBA Draft.
But few expected Davis to burst onto the scene as spectacularly as he did.
Davis was the 1977-78 Rookie of the Year and earned All-NBA honors that season, as well as in 1978-79. He was also fifth in the MVP voting as a rookie in 1977-78.
But his later years in Phoenix were marred by recurring back problems and a drug scandal, culminating in 1987 when he was called to testify about illegal drug use by some of his Suns teammates — in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
In July 1988, Davis signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Denver Nuggets, transitioning to a sixth-man role, until he was traded in January 1991 with a 1992 second-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team deal that netted the Nuggets Greg Anderson and a first-round pick in 1992 from the New Jersey Nets.
Waived by the Trail Blazers in October 1991, Davis returned to Denver for a final season before retiring in 1992.
In 15 NBA seasons, Davis averaged 18.9 points, 3.8 assists, three rebounds and 1.2 steals in 27.9 minutes per game, shooting .511/.272/.851.
Davis is 48th in NBA history with 19,521 points.