He is dead. The head coach of the Phoenix Suns has just announced the death of his best player.
He has passed away. The Phoenix Suns’ head coach recently revealed the passing of his best player.
Charlotte, North Carolina The Phoenix Suns retired Walter Davis’s number after he was a five-time NBA All-Star. He was sixty-nine.
When Davis played for the late Dean Smith at North Carolina, he was a standout. The news of Water Davis’ passing was made public on Thursday in North Carolina, the home state of Davis’ nephew, Hubert Davis, the head basketball coach.
According to a statement from the school, Walter Davis passed away on Thursday morning from natural causes while in Charlotte, North Carolina, for a family visit.
After averaging 24.2 points per game as an NBA rookie, Davis was selected by Phoenix with the fifth overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. 11 of his 16 professional seasons were spent with the Suns, who retired his No. 6 jersey.
Before spending one season in Portland and three seasons in Denver, Davis spent his last season with the Nuggets in 1992–93.
Leading one of the best programs in the nation throughout his undergraduate years, Davis was virtually unbeatable. In 1977, he led the Tar Heels to the NCAA championship game, where they were defeated by Marquette.
Smith and assistant coach Bill Guthridge “used to rave about how much fun it was to coach Walter,” according to former head coach Roy Williams of North Carolina and assistant coach Smith. I enjoyed getting to know him after being able to watch him as a fan.”
According to Ford, Davis and he have been closest friends for about 50 years, starting from their first meeting. “He was the best man at my wedding, and I was the best man at his,” Ford said in a release.
“He loved me, and I loved him,” Ford went on. “He was a great, great, great guy that happened to be a great basketball player.”
