Remembering Walt Bellamy: Born on This Date in 1939

Cover photo: Walt Bellamy in 1966 as a member of the New York Knicks. Photo credit: Larry C. Morris, New York Times.

Photo: Walt Bellamy scores inside as a New York Knick in a game against the Baltimore Bullets. Photo credit: Don Hogan Charles, New York Times.

NBA legend Walt Bellamy was born 86 years ago on this date, July 24. 

Born in New Bern, N.C., Bellamy excelled at both football and basketball at J.T. Barber High School. He was an all-state defensive end and led the football program to the state championship as a senior. At the age of 14, he was already 6 foot, 1 inches tall, and he started playing the sport of basketball on local playgrounds. There, he was discovered by high school coach Simon Coates. In 1956, Bellamy scored 47 points in a game against Durham High School. 

From 1958-1961, Bellamy played at Indiana University under head coach Branch McCracken. An All-American as a senior, Bellamy set the Hoosiers’ single-game scoring record of 42 points. In 70 games as a Hoosier, Bellamy averaged 20.6 points and 15.5 rebounds, including an average of 17.8 rebounds as a senior, which led the nation. He was named a 2nd team All-American in his senior season. Bellamy represented the United States at the 1960 Olympic games, helping the USA win a Gold Medal with a roster that also included Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. That team was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. 

In the 1961 NBA Draft, Bellamy, 6 foot 11 inches tall and 225 pounds, was drafted first overall by the Chicago Packers. Larry Siegfried, an eventual 5-time champion with the Boston Celtics, was drafted third. Ray Scott, a forward out of Philadelphia who would average a double-double five times in his career, was taken fourth overall by the Detroit Pistons. Tom Meschery, a one-time all-star who played with Wilt Chamberlain in Philadelphia and San Francisco, was drafted seventh. 

“Bells” had one of the best rookie seasons in NBA history, producing 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds in 79 games, playing 42.3 minutes per game and making 51.9% of his 23.7 on-average field-goal attempts. His 51.9% field-goal percentage led the NBA that season. 

In 1962-63, the Packers became the Zephyrs, and Bellamy averaged 27.9 points and 16.4 rebounds (80 games, 41.3 minutes, 52.7% from the field, 19.9 attempts). 

The Zephyrs moved to Baltimore ahead of the ‘63-‘64 season, and took on the name of the Bullets. Bellamy in 80 games (42.3 minutes) shot 51.3% in 19.8 attempts per game for 27.0 points and 17.0 rebounds. 

Bellamy’s fourth season in the NBA was his fourth consecutive all-star season. He registered 24.8 points and 14.6 rebounds per game in 41.3 minutes per game in 80 games, while he shot 50.9% from the field on 18 attempts. 

After eight games with the Bullets in ‘65-‘66 (19.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 45.2% shooting, 33.5 minutes), Bellamy was traded, on November 8, 1965, to the New York Knicks for Johnny Green, Jim Barnes, and Johnny Egan. 

In 72 games with the Knicks that season, Bellamy averaged 23.2 points and 16.0 rebounds on 51.2% shooting (17.3 shots) in 42.8 minutes per game. Sharing front court touches with Willis Reed, Bellamy’s attempts per game dropped to 13.7 and 11.5 in 161 games with the Knicks in his two full seasons there (1966-67 and 1967-68). He played an average of 38.1 minutes in ‘66-‘67 and averaged 19.0 points and 13.5 rebounds. In ‘67-‘68, he registered 16.7 points and 11.7 rebounds in 32.9 minutes per game while he shot 54.1% from the field on 11.5 attempts per game. 

“Walt Bellamy, this guy used to kill Wilt and Russell,” Walt Frazier, who was a teammate of Bellamy’s in The Big Apple, told me in May. “He was the fastest guy on the team. He could outrun the guards. He could jump, he could shoot, he could do everything. This guy was an extraordinary talent.”

In 90 career games against Chamberlain, Bellamy averaged 24.2 points per game, and in 71 career games against Russell, Bells averaged 24.4 points per game. Not bad going up against two of the best defensive centers in league history. 

Thirty-five games into the 1968-69 season (15.2 points, 11.0 rebounds in 32.5 minutes), Bellamy along with guard Howie Komives was dealt to the Pistons for Dave DeBusschere. In 109 games with the Pistons, Bellamy averaged 14.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 29.3 minutes per game. In February of 1970, he was dealt again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks, along with Walt Hazzard in exchange for John Arthurs. In 23 games with the Hawks to finish the 1969-70 season, Bellamy averaged 15.5 points and 13.5 rebounds. In 1970-71, a 31-year-old Bellamy played all 82 games and in 35.5 minutes (10.7 shot attempts) shot 49.3% from the field for 14.7 points and 12.9 rebounds. Bellamy played all 82 games again in 1971-72, and averaged 13.3 shots in 38.9 minutes per game. His averages were 18.6 points (54.5% from the field) and 12.8 rebounds per game. 

In 1972-73, Bellamy averaged a double-double for the eleventh and final time in his career, putting up 16.1 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. He played 74 games in ‘72-’73 and in ‘73-’74 played 77 games. For 1974-75, which was his final season, Bellamy played one game, against the New York Knicks, and registered 6 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes. 

Bellamy played 46 playoff games in his career, and recorded a double-double in 40 of those games. In his first ever playoff game, on March 24, 1965 against the St. Louis Hawks, Bellamy tallied 20 points and 20 rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting and 8-of-9 from the line. His best playoff performance came against the Knicks on March 28, 1971 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, when he scored 29 points (11-of-17, 7-of-11 from the line) with 18 rebounds in 45 minutes. Five times in his playoff career, he posted a game of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. 

In 14 seasons, Bellamy in 1,043 career games averaged 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds in 37.3 minutes per game (51.6% shooting on 14.7 attempts). In his first five seasons, he averaged 27.6 points and 16.6 rebounds in 41.6 minutes per game, shooting 51.6% (20.2 shots per game). He played over 70 games in a season 13 times, and in his second season through his fifth season played in 80 games. In ‘70-’71 and ‘71-’72, he played in all 82 games as he did in ‘67-’68. He played in 88 games in ‘68-’69. Bellamy scored 20,941 career points and his 14,241 rebounds are 12th on the NBA’s all-time list.

In 1984, Bellamy was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, and nine years later In 1993 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

On November 2, 2013, Bellamy passed away at the age of 74. Said then NBA Commissioner David Stern in reaction to Bellamy’s passing:

"Walt Bellamy was an enormously gifted Hall of Fame player who had a tremendous impact on our game. Off the court, he was an even more extraordinary person.”

On his birthday, we remember him.