Walter Davis, former UNC and NBA basketball star, dies
Walter Davis, forever known as “Sweet D” among North Carolina fans and the uncle of UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis, has died of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, the university announced Thursday.
Davis, 69, was an All-ACC basketball player. He was the NBA rookie of the year in 1978 and a six-time NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns. He helped win a basketball gold medal for the United States in the 1976 Olympics, on a team coached by UNC’s Dean Smith.
One of the best shooters in school history, Davis earned lasting fame in program history as a freshman, draining a 25-foot shot at the buzzer against Duke to cap an astounding eight-point comeback in the final 17 seconds of regulation. The 1974 game went to overtime and UNC won.
In the 1975 ACC Tournament, the 6-6 Davis was responsible for guarding N.C. State’s David Thompson in the championship game. Thompson, the national player of the year, was slowed after suffering severe leg cramps in the semifinals against Maryland and was limited to 16 points on 7-for-21 shooting as UNC won, 70-66.
UNC freshman Phil Ford was named tournament MVP but said Davis was more deserving of the award.
“Walter and I knew each other for 50 years,” Ford said Thursday in a statement. “.We met when I was a senior in high school and I was coming up to Carolina as a recruit at football games. When we were in school together he and I were best friends. He was the best man at my wedding and I was the best man at his.
“Throughout the last 50 years, we’ve remained in contact with each other and were best friends to each other. He loved me and I loved him. He was a great, great, great guy that happened to be a great basketball player.”
UNC won another ACC title in 1977 in Davis’ senior season, when he was named first-team All-ACC, and advanced to the NCAA championship game before losing to Marquette in Atlanta.
Taken by the Suns with the fifth pick of the 1977 NBA Draft, Davis would play 15 years in the league with Phoenix, Denver and the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 24 points a game as a rookie, a career high, and scored 20 or more points in his career six times.
Davis, with his smooth shooting touch, finished his collegiate career at UNC with 1,863 points and was the Suns’ all-time leading scorer with 15,666 points.
The Suns retired his jersey, No. 6, and later named him to the team’s Ring of Honor in 2004.
The Pineville native, who played high school ball at South Mecklenburg in Charlotte, was named to the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
“This is a sad, sad day with the passing of Walter Davis, one of our all-time great basketball players and an even nicer person,” former UNC coach Roy Williams said in a statement. “Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge used to rave about how much fun it was to coach Walter.
“I got to watch him as a fan and loved getting to know him later. The big shot to end the “eight points in 17 seconds game’ against Duke will stay with us forever as will many other fantastic moments. Walter is a truly great Tar Heel.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2023 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Walter Davis, former UNC and NBA basketball star, dies."
