Jabari Walker
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No. 34 – Portland Trail Blazers | |
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Position | Power forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Wichita, Kansas, U.S. | July 30, 2002
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 227 lb (103 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
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College | Colorado (2020–2022) |
NBA draft | 2022: 2nd round, 57th overall pick |
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
Playing career | 2022–present |
Career history | |
2022–present | Portland Trail Blazers |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Jabari Dominic Walker (born July 30, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of Samaki Walker. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 as a sophomore with Colorado.
High school career
[edit]Walker played basketball for Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles, California, for three years.[1] For his senior season, he transferred to AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona.[2] As a senior, he averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Walker competed for Dream Vision on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[3] He committed to playing college basketball for Colorado over offers from California and Saint Mary's.[4]
College career
[edit]On January 14, 2021, Walker recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds in an 89–60 win over California.[5] In February, he missed six games with a foot injury.[6] On March 20, 2021, Walker scored a freshman season-high 24 points, shooting 5-of-5 from three-point range, in a 96–73 victory over Georgetown at the first round of the NCAA tournament.[7] As a freshman, he averaged 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors.[6] On January 25, 2022, Walker tied a career high with 24 points in an 82–78 win over Oregon.[8] As a sophomore, he averaged 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and was named first-team All-Pac-12.[9] On March 30, 2022, Walker declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[10] He later signed with an agent, forgoing his remaining eligibility.[11]
Professional career
[edit]Walker was selected with the 57th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He joined the Blazers' 2022 NBA Summer League team. In his Summer League debut, Walker recorded eleven points and seven rebounds in an 81–78 loss to the Detroit Pistons.[12] On July 13, 2022, Walker signed his rookie scale contract with the Trail Blazers.[13]
Career statistics
[edit]GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022–23 | Portland | 56 | 0 | 11.1 | .419 | .286 | .756 | 2.3 | .6 | .2 | .2 | 3.9 |
2023–24 | Portland | 72 | 23 | 23.6 | .460 | .295 | .754 | 7.1 | 1.0 | .6 | .3 | 8.9 |
Career | 128 | 23 | 18.1 | .448 | .292 | .755 | 5.0 | .8 | .4 | .3 | 6.7 |
College
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020–21 | Colorado | 26 | 0 | 14.2 | .526 | .523 | .778 | 4.3 | .5 | .5 | .5 | 7.6 |
2021–22 | Colorado | 33 | 33 | 28.1 | .461 | .346 | .784 | 9.4 | 1.2 | .7 | .7 | 14.6 |
Career | 59 | 33 | 22.0 | .479 | .399 | .783 | 7.2 | .9 | .6 | .6 | 11.5 |
Personal life
[edit]Walker's father, Samaki, played in the NBA for 10 years.[14] He has two siblings who play basketball: his brother, Dibaji, plays in the NBA G League for Cleveland Charge, and his sister, Sakima, at South Carolina.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Rosenberg, Gregg (May 3, 2020). "Rosenberg Q&A: Past and Present with Jabari Walker". Rivals. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Chalifoux, Adam (April 7, 2020). "Tale of the Tape: Jabari Walker". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Guerrerio, Justin (March 24, 2020). "Dream Vision AAU coach Clayton Williams breaks down CU target Jabari Walker". Rivals. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Rooney, Pat (April 8, 2020). "CU Buffs basketball adds 2020 forward Jabari Walker". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Rooney, Pat (January 24, 2021). "CU men's basketball notes: Freshman Jabari Walker growing up in a hurry for Buffs". BuffZone. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Rooney, Pat (April 23, 2021). "Jabari Walker embracing prep for bigger role with CU Buffs men's basketball". BuffZone. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Shapiro, Jake (March 20, 2021). "Jabari Walker goes ballistic as Buffaloes beat Hoyas, advance in NCAA Tournament". 247Sports. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "Colorado completes comeback in 82-78 win over Oregon". ESPN. Associated Press. January 25, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ "2021-22 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Ritenour, Zach (March 30, 2022). "Jabari Walker announces he will declare for the 2022 NBA Draft". USA Today. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Rooney, Pat (May 2, 2022). "Done deal: Jabari Walker reportedly 'all in' for NBA draft". BuffZone. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ "Portland Trail Blazers vs Detroit Pistons Jul 8, 2022 Box Scores | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Jabari Walker". NBA.com. July 13, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Rooney, Pat (April 17, 2020). "Sudden growth spurt paves Jabari Walker's path to CU basketball". BuffZone. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "Jabari Walker – Men's Basketball". University of Colorado Athletics. Retrieved May 26, 2021.