University of North Carolina basketball legend Walter Davis died of natural causes Thursday, according to the university’s athletics department.
Per his alma mater, Davis passed away of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Davis, 69, played for the iconic Dean Smith from 1973-1977. He led the Tar Heels to an ACC Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA championship game. In that title game, Davis scored 20 points to lead all scorers, but the Tar Heels fell to the Marquette Golden Eagles 67-59. That Marquette team was coached by Al McGuire, who would retire from coaching after that game and move on to a distinguished broadcasting career, notably calling some landmark games alongside ACC basketball legend Billy Packer.
Davis is also revered for hitting a 25-foot shot at the buzzer against the Duke Blue Devils in 1974. That shot capped an incredible comeback for the ages that saw the Tar Heels erase an 8-point Duke lead in the final 17 seconds of regulation. Davis’ shot sent the game to overtime, where the Tar Heels would win.
Embed from Getty ImagesWalter Davis averaged 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 119 games over four seasons with North Carolina.
Coach Smith selected Davis to play on the USA basketball team in 1976. He helped the team take home the gold medal at the Summer Olympics.
He was then drafted as the 5th overall pick in the 1977 draft by the Phoenix Suns.
In the NBA he won Rookie of the Year honors and was a six-time All-Star. Davis averaged 18.9 points, 3.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 1,033 career games with the Suns, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively. The Suns retired his No. 6 jersey in 1994.
Davis is also the uncle to current UNC men’s basketball head coach Hubert Davis.
