Paul Walther
American basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Philip Walther (March 23, 1927 – December 21, 2014) was an American professional basketball player.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 23, 1927 Covington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 21, 2014 (aged 87) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Covington Catholic (Park Hills, Kentucky) |
| College | Tennessee (1944–1945, 1947–1949) |
| NBA draft | 1949: – round, – |
| Drafted by | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Playing career | 1949–1955 |
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Number | 14, 5 |
| Career history | |
| 1949 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1949–1953 | Indianapolis Olympians |
| 1953–1954 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1954–1955 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,838 (7.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,168 (3.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 974 (2.6 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Life
Walther was born in Covington, Kentucky, as the third of six children to George A. and Rosalie Walther.[1] He was a graduate of Covington Catholic High School.[2][3] He was a 6'2" guard/forward at the University of Tennessee, where he was coached by Emmett Lowery. His playing career was split by World War II, when he served in the United States Navy.[4] Walther returned in 1947.[5] He was team captain at Tennessee during 1948–49, his final season there.[4]
Walther played six seasons (1949–1955) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Minneapolis Lakers, Indianapolis Olympians, Philadelphia Warriors, and Fort Wayne Pistons. He averaged 7.7 points per game in his career and appeared in the 1952 NBA All-Star Game.[6]
After his basketball career, Walther worked 32 years for Merrill Lynch in Chicago.[4]
Walther died on December 21, 2014,[1] in Atlanta at the age of 87.[7]
NBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Minneapolis | 22 | – | .400 | .524 | – | .5 | 3.4 |
| 1949–50 | Indianapolis | 31 | – | .390 | .591 | – | 1.5 | 7.0 |
| 1950–51 | Indianapolis | 63 | – | .336 | .694 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 9.1 |
| 1951–52 | Indianapolis | 55 | 34.6 | .401 | .750 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 12.2 |
| 1952–53 | Indianapolis | 67 | 36.8 | .352 | .746 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 10.7 |
| 1953–54 | Philadelphia | 64 | 32.3 | .352 | .704 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 6.6 |
| 1954–55 | Fort Wayne | 68 | 12.1 | .348 | .614 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| Career | 370 | 28.6 | .362 | .708 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 7.7 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Indianapolis | 6 | – | .293 | .474 | – | 1.3 | 5.5 |
| 1951 | Indianapolis | 3 | – | .429 | .733 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 5.7 |
| 1952 | Indianapolis | 2 | 42.5 | .500 | .889 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 16.0 |
| 1953 | Indianapolis | 2 | 37.5 | .250 | .941 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 13.0 |
| 1955 | Fort Wayne | 10 | 9.5 | .545 | .611 | 2.0 | .8 | 3.5 |
| Career | 23 | 18.2 | .377 | .724 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 6.2 |
