Ex-Sun Walk dies
Former center lost use of legs, became speaker
Neal Walk, a tough center on the early Phoenix Suns teams who became an inspirational speaker after losing the use of his legs, has died at age 67.
The Suns confirmed his death in a statement Monday.
“We were saddened last night to learn of the passing of Neal Walk, an integral member of the most successful Suns teams in our franchise’s early years,” the Suns said in the statement. “The Suns will always remember and appreciate the many contributions Neal made, both on the court with his scoring ability and tenacious rebounding, and later as a community ambassador and photo archivist with the team.”
Walk lost the use of his legs in a surgery to remove a tumor from his spine in 1987.
Phoenix drafted Walk as the No. 2 pick overall in 1969 after losing the coin flip with Milwaukee to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor).
“My answer to the coin toss,” he once told azcentral sports, “was always, ‘I didn’t toss it and I didn’t make the call. I just play basketball.’ ”
Walk averaged 20.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in the 1972-73 season. Charles Barkley is the only other Sun to top the 20-point, 10-rebound average.
The 6-foot-10 Walk also played for the New Orleans Jazz and New York Knicks in his eightyear NBA career.
Walk, who had a standout college career at Florida, averaged 12.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in his NBA career. In five seasons with the Suns, he averaged 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Then-Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, who as general manager had drafted Walk, created a community relations job for him. Walk gave inspirational talks and established camps for disabled athletes.
“No matter how a person came across their malady, people with maladies have hearts and souls and feelings, and they’re capable,” Walk said in one of his speeches.
In 1999, Walk became a photo archivist for the team, a job he held until 2012.
Walk is survived by his wife, Georgia, and a brother.
Knicks: Star forward Carmelo Anthony expressed frustration about reports that he was unhappy with the drafting of Kristaps Porzingis or that he would consider waiving the no-trade clause in his contract.
Anthony said he’s on board with team president Phil Jackson’s plan and answered with an emphatic “hell no” when he was asked if he will look to be moved if the Knicks struggle again this season.
The Knicks took Porzingis, a 7-foot-3 project from Latvia, with the No. 4 pick.
Hornets: Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is expected to miss an extended period of time after an MRI revealed he has a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The team would not say if he needed surgery or how long he will be out.