So, I got myself into a bit of a rabbit hole the other day, all centered around Wally Walker and his time playing basketball. It wasn’t like I planned it, you know? Just happened.
It started when I was digging through some old boxes in the attic. Found this dusty VHS tape simply labeled “Hoops”. Curiosity got the better of me. I actually had to track down my old VCR from the basement, hook it all up to a small TV. Took me a good hour just to get the darn thing working, picture was all fuzzy at first.
Anyway, the tape rolls, and it’s just a random collection of NBA clips, looked like mostly from the late 70s or early 80s. Some familiar faces, some dunks, the usual stuff. Then there were a few plays featuring this guy, Wally Walker. I knew the name, vaguely recalled he was involved with the Sonics later on, but I couldn’t really picture him as a player. The clips were short, didn’t give much away.
Trying to Find More
That got me thinking. What was he actually like on the court? So, I decided to do some digging. My little project, I guess.
- First stop: The internet, obviously. Easy to find his stats, career timeline – player, then president for the Sonics, all that jazz. Found he was on that Blazers championship team in ’77. Okay, interesting.
- Next step: Finding actual game footage. This was tougher. YouTube had highlights, sure, but it’s always focused on the big stars. Walker was there, making a pass, setting a screen, hitting the occasional jumper. But finding extended footage showing his game? Not so easy. Everything was super grainy or cut short.
- Talking to people: I remembered my dad’s cousin, Frank, was a massive Sonics fan back in the day. Gave him a call. He remembered Wally Walker well. Said he was a smart player, not flashy, but dependable. Mentioned he had a kind of funny-looking shot sometimes but it went in. Frank didn’t have any tapes, though. Lost them ages ago, he said.
- More searching: Armed with Frank’s description, I tried searching again. Looked for specific Sonics games from his era, used terms like “Wally Walker jumper”, “Seattle Sonics basketball 1980”. Found a couple more short clips, maybe saw that ‘funny-looking shot’ once or twice, but still, nothing substantial.
- Offline attempt: Went down to that old collectibles store downtown. The one that smells like old paper and dust. Asked the owner if he had any old Sonics programs or yearbooks from around ’78 to ’82. He actually dug one out! A game program from 1980. Had a small bio on Walker, a picture. It was cool to hold, but still didn’t show me how he played.
What I Realized
After all that, I didn’t exactly find some lost treasure trove of Wally Walker game film. Didn’t uncover some secret signature move. What I did find was that it’s surprisingly hard to see footage of players who weren’t the absolute top superstars back then. A lot of it just wasn’t kept, or isn’t easily accessible online.
Honestly, the whole process was the interesting part. Just the act of digging, calling Frank, handling that old program. It was a reminder of how different things were before every single game was recorded and archived instantly. It wasn’t about mastering a Wally Walker move on the court for me; it was about the practice of uncovering a piece of basketball history, even a small one. Kinda makes you appreciate the guys who were solid contributors, even if they don’t have endless highlight reels.
So yeah, that was my little adventure with Wally Walker basketball. Didn’t end up with much footage, but it was a fun way to spend a few afternoons. Made me appreciate the history a bit more, you know?
