North Carolina's smooth scorer — Olympic gold medallist who developed under Dean Smith.
Walter Davis was born in Pineville, North Carolina in 1954. He attended the University of North Carolina under coach Dean Smith and won an Olympic gold medal with the USA at Montreal 1976 before his senior season. He was the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in 1977. He led North Carolina to the national championship game in 1977, losing to Marquette. He averaged 15.7 points per game across four seasons in Chapel Hill. His shooting stroke — one of the most fluid in college basketball — was developed across four years in Dean Smith's system. Phoenix Suns selected him fifth overall in the 1977 NBA Draft. His professional career produced six All-Star appearances and scoring averages consistently in the 20-point range. His UNC career was the foundation of a professional career that established him as one of the finest scorers of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He overcame cocaine addiction publicly in the mid-1980s, returning to productive basketball and later speaking about his recovery. His Olympic gold and his North Carolina career place him in the top tier of Tar Heel basketball history.
National Championship finalist (1977)
Career Honours
- National Championship finalist (1977)
- All-American
- Olympic Gold Medal (1976)
- ACC Player of Year