NBA: Ranking every active head coach by playing career
By Corey Rausch
Every NBA head coach ranked by playing career: 5. Luke Walton
It’s never easy to follow a famous parent into the same profession. Bill Walton was one of the best players of his generation before having his career derailed by injury. Luke Walton also made it to the league and had his career cut short.
Walton was a standout at the University of Arizona where he was a second-team All-American as a junior. During that season, he would average 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
After a solid four-year career, he was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003. He won two championships with the Lakers and peaked in his fourth season when he averaged 11.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He finished his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then moved into coaching.
His experience on the sidelines actually started during his playing career when he worked as an assistant coach with the University of Memphis during the 2011 NBA lockout. Upon retirement, Walton returned to the Lakers, taking a player development position with the D-League squad, the D-Fenders.
After one season there, he moved to the Golden State Warriors, where he famously won 39 of the first 43 games of the season when Steve Kerr missed extended time. This was enough to get him a shot as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and eventually, with the Sacramento Kings.