Luke Walton life and biography

Career:
Selected by the Lakers with the 3rd pick in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft ... Two-time NBA Champion (2009, 2010) ... One of three father/son combinations to win an NBA Championship (Rick and Brent Barry, Matt and Matt Jr. Guokas) ... Represented the Los Angeles team in the RadioShack Shooting Stars competition at the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend ... Has posted seven career double-doubles (5 points/rebounds, 2 points/assists), seven career 10+ rebound games, two 10+ assist games and four career 20+ point games.

Background

2009-10: Appeared in 29 games, averaging 2.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 9.4 minutes … Scored in double-figures once … Led team in assists three times, in steals twice and in blocks once … Posted five points and season-highs in rebounds (7) and assists (7) 11/6 vs. Memphis … Scored a season-high 11 points (3-5 3FG) 11/8 vs. New Orleans ... Missed 28 games from 11/15-1/10 and 22 games from 2/16-4/2 with a pinched nerve (back) ... Appeared in 16 playoff games, averaging 1.1 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 6.0 minutes.

2008-09: Appeared in 65 games (34 starts), averaging 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 17.9 minutes … Scored in double-figures seven times … Led team in assists seven times and in steals five times … Missed one game with upper respiratory infection (12/7) ... Scored a season-high 14 points 12/16 vs. New York… Scored his 2,000th career point 12/25 vs. Boston … Missed eight games with sesamoiditis (right foot) 1/4 - 1/16 … Posted season-highs in points (14) and rebounds (8) 2/20 vs. New Orleans … Totaled 11 points (3-4 FG, 5-6 FT) and a season-high nine assists 4/7 at Sacramento … Handed out 1,000th career assist 4/10 at Portland ... In 21 playoff games, averaged 3.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 15.8 minutes ... Posted a playoff career-high three steals 4/25 at Utah … Scored a playoff-high 10 points 5/29 at Denver.

2007-08: Appeared in 74 games (31 starts), averaging 7.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 23.4 minutes ... Scored in double-figures 20 times … Posted two 10+ rebound games … Led team in scoring once and in assists 10 times … Scored 15 points (6-6 FG, 3-3 3FG) 12/16 vs. LA Clippers… Posted 10 points and a season-high seven assists 1/6 vs. Indiana … Grabbed 1,000th career rebound 2/24 at Seattle … Pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds 2/28 vs. Miami … Scored 17 points (all in 4th on 8-8 FG in quarter) 3/21 vs. Seattle … Scored a season-high 19 points (7-8 FG) 3/30 vs. Washington … Scored 18 points (career-high four 3FG) 4/10 at LA Clippers ... In 21 playoff games, averaged 6.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 16.8 minutes ... Had a playoff-high 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists 4/23 vs. Denver.

2006-07: Appeared in 60 games (60 starts), averaging 11.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.00 steals in 33.0 minutes ... Posted five double-doubles … Scored 20+ points four times … Led team in points twice, in rebounds five times and in assists 18 times … Scored 20 points 11/3 vs. Seattle … Scored 22 points 11/8 at Portland … Scored a career-high 25 points (10-13 FG) 12/8 vs. Atlanta … Tallied 15 points, a career-high tying 11 assists and eight rebounds 12/17 vs. Washington … Tallied 14 points, a season-high 11 rebounds and a career-high five steals 12/29 at Charlotte … Scored 21 points 1/7 vs. Dallas … Recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds 1/15 vs. Miami … Recorded 10 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 11 assists 3/18 vs. Minnesota ... Tallied 10 points and season-high 11 rebounds 4/18 at Sacramento … Missed 22 games with a moderately sprained right ankle ... In five playoff games, averaged 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.40 steals in 25.6 minutes.

2005-06: Averaged 5.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 19.3 minutes in 69 games (6 starts) ... Led team in rebounds twice and in assists nine times ... Handed out a season-high seven assists 12/9 at Chicago … Posted 2nd career double-double with 13 points and a season-high 10 rebounds 3/10 at San Antonio … Scored a season-high 17 points (7-7 FG) 3/12 vs. Seattle … Missed seven games (11/2-11/14) with a severe hamstring strain and four games (11/16-11/24) with an added hip flexor strain ... Started all seven playoff games, averaging 12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.00 steals in 33.6 minutes ... Tallied a playoff career-high 19 points 4/23 at Phoenix … Posted 17 points and playoff career-highs in rebounds (10) and minutes (40) 4/28 vs. Phoenix.

2004-05: Averaged 3.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 12.6 minutes in 61 games (five starts) ... Scored in double-figures five times ... Led team in scoring once, in rebounds once and in assists five times ... Scored a season-high 19 points (6-7 FG) 1/25 vs. Seattle … Tallied 17 points and six rebounds 2/9 at New Jersey … Tallied nine points, five rebounds and seven assists 2/22 vs. Boston … Tallied 10 points and season-highs in rebounds (12) and assists (9) 4/15 vs. Sacramento for 1st career double-double … Scored 12 points (5-7 FG) 4/17 vs. Dallas.

2003-04: Averaged 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 10.1 minutes in 72 games (two starts) ... Scored five points and grabbed two rebounds in NBA debut 10/28 vs. Dallas ... In first career start, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds 1/22 at Dallas ... Scored a season-high tying nine points while blocking a season-high two shots 2/2 at Indiana ... Handed out a season-high tying seven assists 2/8 at Orlando ... Tallied a season-high four steals along with five rebounds and five assists 2/25 at Denver ... Pulled down a season-high nine rebounds 3/5 vs. Seattle ... Tallied seven points and five rebounds in a season-high 38 minutes 3/8 at Utah ... Led team in rebounds twice and in assists on three occasions.

College: Left Pac-10 as one of only three players in conference history to tally 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists ... Finished Arizona career as the No. 22 career scorer (1,179 points), No. 4 in assists (582), No. 8 in games played (129) and No. 9 in steals (151) and minutes played (3,514) ... Earned AP Honorable Mention All-America honors his senior season ... Averaged 15.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists in the NCAA Tournament his senior year ... Named All Pac-10 for the 2nd consecutive season as a senior ... Wooden Award Finalist ... Led all front court players in the country in assists as a junior ... Named to four All-America teams following junior season including one of 10 John R. Wooden Award All-Americans, 2nd team All-America honors from The Sporting News and Basketball News and 3rd team All-America from Basketball Times ... Named one of 20 finalists for the John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award and was an All Pac-10 selection as a junior.

Personal

Luke Theodore Walton ... Son of Susie and Hall of Famer Bill Walton ... Brothers Nate and Adam played basketball at Princeton and Cal Poly-Pomona, respectively ... Younger brother Chris played at San Diego State ... Enjoys listening to the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Coldplay and the Rolling Stones ... Person he most admires is his mother for raising four boys ... Most important possession is his 1970 Cadillac convertible which his older brother passed down to him ... After professional basketball, would like to work with underprivileged children ... Earned bachelor’s degree in family studies from the University of Arizona ... Active participant in Lakers Community Relations programs such as “Read To Achieve” ... Prior to the Lakers/Hornets contest March 8, 2006 in the NBA’s first game back in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, participated in a “Hoops for Homes/Habitat for Humanity” project in New Orleans’ hardest hit area, the Lower 9th Ward with teammates and Hornets players ... Traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2006 and Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2007 for Basketball Without Borders, the NBA’s international outreach program designed to teach the game and focus on HIV/AIDS awareness and education ... Conducts annual summer basketball camps for boys and girls in Tucson and San Diego with former Arizona teammate and current Milwaukee Bucks star Richard Jefferson ... Opened two Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ restaurants in Manhattan Beach and Irvine ... Unveiled the 12th Lakers Reading and Learning Center at the Boys and Girls Club of East LA (October 2008) ... Spoke with elementary school students about his healthy habits and then led them in fun exercise activities during the Lakers inaugural "Fit For Life" Timeout.

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