Six-time NBA All-Star Walter Davis died on Thursday, the University of North Carolina announced. Davis was 69 years old and passed away from natural causes.
Davis, who grew up in North Carolina, would go on to play for Dean Smith as both a member of the Tar Heels and as a leader on his 1976 gold-medal-winning Olympic team. He is the uncle of current North Carolina basketball coach Hubert Davis. He was nicknamed “Sweet D” for both his defense and the smooth nature of his offense.
Davis was picked No. 5 overall in the 1977 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, where he made an immediate impact on a winning team. Davis was named an All-Star in each of his first four seasons, but his rookie scoring average of 24.2 points per game would ultimately prove to be his career-high. As he aged, back problems sapped some of the athleticism that made him such a special player.
Still, Davis remained a high-level player for most of his career and made his sixth and final All-Star appearance in 1987. He was revered for his jump shot, though he played in an era in which 3-point shots were not valued as highly as they are today. That shot made him extremely popular among other players, with Sam Smith noting in his seminal book about the Chicago Bulls, The Jordan Rules, that Michael Jordan frequently tried to get the Bulls to trade for him.
Davis ended his career with brief stints as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets. He would then go on to careers in broadcasting (with the Nuggets) and scouting (with the Washington Wizards). His No. 6 jersey has been retired by the Suns, the team he spent most of his career playing for.
This story was originally published by CBS Sports on Nov. 2 at 5:20 p.m.
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