Antoine Walker
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Antoine Walker (born August 12, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is a 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, the same school as current several other professional sportsmen including Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, Chicago Bears tackle Steve Edwards, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice. 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 the University of 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 play at a relatively high level, helping the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals one year, and was selected to three NBA All-Star Game appearances.
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.
Criticisms
Over the years, Walker's game has been widely criticized, mainly because of his questionable shot selection. Though no more than an average three-point shooter, by the 2000-2001 campaign he had become the NBA's leader in three point attempts. Throughout that season, Walker shot 37% from beyond the arc and 41% overall, a poor field-goal percentage for a power forward.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. Walker again led the league in 3PA's in 2001-2002 with 645 (and finished shooting an anemic 39% overall). In 2002-2003 he attempted 582 three-point shots. However, Walker has improved this in his days with the Miami Heat, shooting a 43.3% from the field. This is possibly due to the fact that teammates Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade often draw double-teams, so Walker frequently has wide-open shots.
Asked once why he shoots so many threes, Walker 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 Shimmy" during a game after completing a difficult play or shot.
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 0-11 from 3 point range, 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).External links
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