Antoine Walker

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Antoine Walker

Position	Small forward
Nickname	Employee No. 8
Height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Team	Miami Heat
Nationality	United States
Born	August 12, 1976 Chicago, Illinois
College	University of Kentucky
Draft	6th Pick, First round, 1996 Boston Celtics
Pro career	1996 – present
Former teams	Dallas Mavericks Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics
Awards	three time NBA All-Star

Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) is an American professional basketball player with the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association. He has played for four different teams during his NBA career.

Walker grew up in Dolton, Illinois and went to Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. He was a key factor in the University of Kentucky Wildcats 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship-winning team. As a freshman at Kentucky he was named SEC Tournament MVP. In his sophomore year Antoine was named All-SEC First, All-SEC Tournament and to the All-NCAA Regional Teams. After his sophomore season he declared for the 1996 NBA Draft and was picked sixth overall by the Boston Celtics. Walker later teamed with Paul Pierce to help Boston reach the Eastern Conference finals in 2002, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons before falling to the New Jersey Nets. Walker was selected to three NBA All-Star Game appearances, including the year when they reached the conference finals were he was voted onto the All-Star starting 5 by the fans.

Nine days before the start of the 2003-04 season, Antoine Walker was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Walker was used in a relatively limited capacity on his new team due to the plethora of high-caliber players populating the Mavericks' roster. Included on that team was Antawn Jamison, newly acquired from the Golden State Warriors. On August 8, 2004 Walker and Tony Delk were traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Jason Terry, longtime Hawks member Alan Henderson and a draft pick. On February 24, 2005, Walker was traded back to the Celtics in a deal that sent Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart, and a first round draft pick to the Hawks. Gary Payton was released by the Hawks and re-signed with Boston for the remainder of the season.

On August 2, 2005, Walker was involved in a 5-team, 13-player deal (the largest trade in NBA history) that sent him from the Celtics to the Miami Heat. On June 20, 2006, he won his first NBA Championship with the Miami Heat contributing 14 points and 11 rebounds in the final game of the series.

[edit] Player profile

Walker is a versatile big man who can play either forward spot. He is mostly used as a small forward, where he establishes himself as a profilic scorer (career average 19.0 points per game) and deft rebounder, using his 6-foot-9 frame well (career average of 8.3 boards per game). He is also known as a capable passer, as 3.9 career assists per game prove. Walker is also known for his faible to shoot threes, as he has taken 3771 three-point attempts in his career (as of September 2006), averaging about five per game, and made 1241 of them (.329). His allround game earned him three All-Star call-ups so far (1998, 2002, 2003).

In spite of his consistent scoring and rebounding, Walker's game has been widely criticized over the years, mainly because of his questionable shot selection. By the 2000-01 campaign he had become the NBA's leader in three point attempts, although .329 was not a remarkable three-point-shot average. Walker's penchant for shooting three-pointers is thought to stem from his playing for coaches Rick Pitino and Jim O'Brien, whose offensive techniques of shooting high volumes of three-pointers became known as the "Bombs Away Offense" among Celtics fans. However, Walker has improved this in his days with the Miami Heat, shooting a 43.3% from the field, profiting from playing third fiddle to teammates Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade who often draw double-teams, so Walker frequently has wide-open shots. He was once asked why he shoots so many threes, and he replied, "because there are no fours."

In addition, Walker has also made complaints over his playing time and role in the offense during his time with both the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. In both cases, the teams' rosters were filled with numerous other all-star and skilled role-players which marginalized his minutes.

Walker is also notorious for performing the "Walker Wiggle" (a.k.a. "The Shimmy") - a move that involves raising one's hands up to chest height while simultaneously shrugging one's shoulders. He used often in his early Boston days after completing a difficult play or a big shot. This was toned down as he matured but was still brought out twice during the Miami Heat Championship run in 2006.

[edit] Records

Walker holds two NBA records. In the 2002 playoff first round series against Philadelphia, Walker knocked down six 3 pointers in the second quarter alone, the most ever in one quarter of a playoff game. His other record is a more dubious distinction: In a game against Cleveland during the 2002-03 season, Walker shot 0-10 from three-point range ^[1], the most 3 point attempts by a player in one game without a successful conversion. He is also the Boston Celtics' all-time leader in three-point field goals attempted (2,815). Walker was also part of the NBA playoff record 21 point fourth-quarter comeback in 2002 against the New Jersey Nets.