During the offseason, we will run a series called Forgotten Wolves Friday. A former Minnesota player will be highlighted who may have become more and more forgotten as the years have gone by since their playing career has ended. This is especially true for the younger generation that wasn't around to see these guys play.
Today’s Forgotten Wolves Friday is Antoine Walker. This Forgotten Wolves Friday is a bit different from previous ones because while Walker is still a fairly well-known former player, many don’t recall his time with Minnesota.
Antoine Walker spent his last season with the Timberwolves
Born on August 12, 1976, many may forget (or not remember) that Walker’s last season in the NBA was with the Timberwolves in 2007-08. He was traded to Minnesota late in the 2007 offseason by the Heat.
In what was his 12th NBA season, Walker was 31 years old when he joined the Timberwolves. It wasn’t a good season for the team as they went just 22-60 under head coach Randy Wittman, and it wasn’t a banner year for Walker.
The 6-foot-9 power forward appeared in 46 games (one start) for the Timberwolves in his one year as a member of the team. Playing 19.4 minutes per contest, Walker posted averages of 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. Those were career-lows for the 12-year veteran across the board.
There were occasions where vintage Walker would show up. Three times, he dropped more than 20 points, including season-highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds on January 15 against the Warriors. Overall, though, it was a very inefficient season by Walker as evidenced by his shooting percentage splits of 36.3/32.4/53.0.
Hoping for a buyout that never came, Walker didn’t appear in any of the Wolves’ final 30 games. He was traded to the Grizzlies the following offseason but was waived prior to the year beginning.
Walker is most remembered with Celtics
Of course, when people are asked when they most remember Walker during his NBA career, it would be from his tenure with the Celtics. Boston selected him sixth overall in the 1996 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. He played his first seven seasons with them, being named to three All-Star teams, averaging more than 20 points five times, and recording 13 triple-doubles. He was even on the cover of the video game NBA Live 99.
Walker also played for the Mavericks, Hawks, and Heat during his NBA career. He was the starting power forward during the playoff run on Miami’s 2006 championship team.