Top 50 Kentucky Wildcats Prior to John Calipari Era
Oct 24, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Kentucky Wildcats fans watch the action during the fourth quarter of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 42-16 Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
9. Antoine Walker
From Chicago, Illinois, Antoine Walker is one of the most elite players to come out of the University of Kentucky.
Walker was the starting forward on the Wildcats’ 1996 NCAA Championship team as a sophomore. He arrived in Lexington in 1994, played two years for the Wildcats before declaring for the 1996 NBA Draft.
As a freshman, Walker was named SEC Tournament MVP.
In his sophomore season Walker was named All-SEC First, All-SEC Tournament and to the All-NCAA Regional Teams. Not too bad for the forward.
Walker was the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He had a long tenure with the Celtics before bouncing around a few other teams. Let’s take a look at where the NBA led him:
- 1996-03: Boston Celtics
- 2003-04: Dallas Mavericks
- 2003-05: Atlanta Hawks
- 2005: Boston Celtics
- 2005-07: Miami Heat
After his tenure with the Miami Heat, he played overseas and for the NBA D-League before ending his basketball career. He’s faced some legal issues throughout his lifetime, but has seemingly gotten it together recently.