Luke Walton

:The son of John T. Walton and a member of the United States Olympic rowing team are both also named Luke Walton.

Related Topics:
John T. Walton - United States - Olympic - Rowing

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28 1980 in San Diego, California) is a professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. His position is small forward.

Related Topics:
March 28 - 1980 - San Diego, California - Basketball - Los Angeles Lakers - National Basketball Association - Small forward

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Growing up as the son of former NBA great Bill Walton, Luke was certainly no stranger to the sport of basketball. His three brothers: Adam, Nathan (who also unsuccessfully ran for governor during the 2003 California recall), and Chris also play or have played basketball for their schools. He has a tattoo on his arm representing himself and his brothers playing ball.

Related Topics:
Bill Walton - 2003 California recall - Tattoo

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After graduating from University of San Diego High School in 1998, he enrolled at the University of Arizona and majored in Family Studies. There, he played for the Wildcats under coach Lute Olson. He was selected in the 2003 NBA Draft with the third pick of the second round (32nd overall) by the Lakers. Standing in at 6'8" tall and 235 lbs, Walton has been with the Lakers his entire NBA career.

Related Topics:
University of San Diego High School - University of Arizona - Lute Olson - 2003 NBA Draft

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Walton's game is not flashy, and he does not make the highlight reel often, but he is skilled in the fundamentals of basketball: positioning, timing, and teamwork. His passing skills brought him great success in the triangle offense under Phil Jackson. In fact, the main criticism against him is that he passes too often, as was exemplified in a game at the end of the 2004–05 season, where the Lakers were down by a point with time running out and he was in position to score. Instead, he passed the ball to Kobe Bryant, who was unable to get a shot off. As the buzzer sounded, Kobe slammed the ball on the floor in frustration (he later said he didn't blame Walton for the pass). Walton suffered an injury in the 2004 preseason and was unable to find a place in coach Rudy Tomjanovich's rotation, but returned to a regular spot in the lineup after the coach's resignation midway through the season.

Related Topics:
Triangle offense - Phil Jackson - Kobe Bryant - Rudy Tomjanovich

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~