Paul Walther

Not to be confused with Paul Walter.

Paul P. Walther (March 23, 1927 – December 21, 2014) was an American basketball player.

Paul Walther

Personal information
Born	(1927-03-23)March 23, 1927 Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	December 21, 2014(2014-12-21) (aged 87) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High school	Covington Catholic (Park Hills, Kentucky)
College	Tennessee (1944–1949)
NBA draft	1949: – round, –
Drafted by	Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career	1949–1955
Position	Shooting guard / small forward
Number	14, 5
Career history
1949	Minneapolis Lakers
1949–1953	Indianapolis Olympians
1953–1954	Philadelphia Warriors
1954–1955	Fort Wayne Pistons
Career highlights
NBA All-Star (1952) First-team All-SEC (1949)
Career NBA statistics
Points	2,838 (7.7 ppg)
Rebounds	1,168 (3.7 rpg)
Assists	974 (2.6 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Life

Walther was a native of Covington, Kentucky and a graduate of Covington Catholic High School.^[1][2] He was a 6'2" guard/forward at the University of Tennessee, where he was coached by Emmett Lowery. His playing career was split by World War II, when he served in the United States Navy.^[3] He was team captain at Tennessee during 1948–49, his final season there.^[3]

Walther played six seasons (1949–1955) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Minneapolis Lakers, Indianapolis Olympians, Philadelphia Warriors, and Fort Wayne Pistons. He averaged 7.7 points per game in his career and appeared in the 1952 NBA All-Star Game.^[4]

After his basketball career, Walther worked 32 years for Merrill Lynch in Chicago.^[3]

Walther died in Atlanta at the age of 87.^[5]

NBA career statistics

Legend

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

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1949–50	Minneapolis	22	–	.400	.524	–	.5	3.4
1949–50	Indianapolis	31	–	.390	.591	–	1.5	7.0
1950–51	Indianapolis	63	–	.336	.694	3.6	3.6	9.1
1951–52	Indianapolis	55	34.6	.401	.750	4.5	2.5	12.2
1952–53	Indianapolis	67	36.8	.352	.746	4.2	3.1	10.7
1953–54	Philadelphia	64	32.3	.352	.704	4.0	3.4	6.6
1954–55	Fort Wayne	68	12.1	.348	.614	2.3	1.9	2.4
	Career	370	28.6	.362	.708	3.7	2.6	7.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1950	Indianapolis	6	–	.293	.474	–	1.3	5.5
1951	Indianapolis	3	–	.429	.733	1.7	3.0	5.7
1952	Indianapolis	2	42.5	.500	.889	3.5	3.0	16.0
1953	Indianapolis	2	37.5	.250	.941	4.0	2.0	13.0
1955	Fort Wayne	10	9.5	.545	.611	2.0	.8	3.5
	Career	23	18.2	.377	.724	2.4	1.5	6.2