Luke Walton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Luke Walton

Walton with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008
Detroit Pistons
Assistant coach
Personal information
Born	(1980-03-28) March 28, 1980 (age 45) San Diego, California, U.S.
High school	University of San Diego HS (San Diego, California)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College	Arizona (1999–2003)
NBA Draft	2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32nd overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career	2003–2013
Coaching career	2011–present
League	NBA
Career history
As player:
2003–2012	Los Angeles Lakers
2012–2013	Cleveland Cavaliers
As coach:
2011	Memphis Tigers (assistant)
2013–2014	Los Angeles D-Fenders (player development)
2014–2016	Golden State Warriors (assistant)
2016–2019	Los Angeles Lakers
2019–2021	Sacramento Kings
2022–2024	Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
2024–present	Detroit Pistons (lead assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player: 2× NBA champion (2009, 2010) Second-team All-American – SN (2002) 2× First-team All-Pac-10 (2002, 2003) Pac-10 tournament MVP (2002) As assistant coach: NBA champion (2015)
Career NBA statistics
Points	2,649 (4.7 ppg)
Rebounds	1,588 (2.8 rpg)
Assists	1,317 (2.3 apg)

Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He is currently the lead assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Luke Walton played for 10 seasons in the NBA as a forward. He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. Later, he won another championship as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. He also served as the head coach for the Lakers and the Sacramento Kings.

Walton played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He was a second-team All-American. He was also chosen twice for the first-team all-conference in the Pac-10. The Lakers picked him in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft.

After the 2010 NBA Finals, Luke and his father, Hall of Famer Bill Walton, made history. They became the first father and son to both win multiple NBA championships. Bill won in 1977 and 1986. Luke won in 2009 and 2010. Luke's best season as a player was 2006–07. He averaged over 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

As an interim head coach for the Warriors in 2015–16, he led the team to an amazing start. They won their first 24 games, which was a new league record.

Early Life and Family

Luke Walton was born in San Diego, California. His parents are Susie and Bill Walton, a famous former UCLA star and NBA Hall-of-Famer. Luke was named after Maurice Lucas, a close friend of his father. Maurice was also a former teammate on the Portland Trail Blazers. Luke has three brothers: Adam, Nathan, and Chris. He went to University of San Diego High School in San Diego, California, and graduated in 1998.

College Basketball Career

Walton played basketball at the University of Arizona. His coach there was Lute Olson. Luke was chosen twice for the first-team All-Pac-10. His best year in college was his junior year. He averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He also had 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. During his senior year, he averaged 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Luke graduated from Arizona in the spring of 2003. He studied family studies and human development.

Professional Playing Career

Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (2003–2012)

The Los Angeles Lakers picked Luke Walton in the 2003 NBA draft. He was the 32nd player chosen overall. Lakers fans really liked Walton during his nine years with the team. He was known as a selfless and hard-working reserve player. In 2005, he was chosen to represent Team Los Angeles. This was for the Shooting Stars Competition during All-Star Weekend.

The 2006–07 was Luke's best year in the NBA. He scored a career-high 25 points against the Atlanta Hawks in December 2006. That season, he had his highest averages in many areas. These included minutes played, field goal percentage, steals, blocks, rebounds, assists, and points. He played as the Lakers' starting small forward. After this great season, the Lakers signed Walton to a 6-year, $30 million contract in July 2007.

The Lakers then went to the NBA Finals three times in a row. They lost to the Celtics in 2008. But they beat the Magic in 2009 and the Celtics again in 2010. This gave Walton two championships as a player. This was the same number his father had won.

Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2012–2013)

In March 2012, Walton was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He went with Jason Kapono and a 2012 first-round draft pick. In return, the Lakers received Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga.

Luke Walton's last game as an NBA player was on April 5, 2013. It was a 97–91 win against the Boston Celtics. In that game, Walton played for 3 minutes and had 2 assists.

Coaching Career

Early Coaching Roles

Luke Walton's first coaching job was with the University of Memphis. They hired him as an assistant coach during the 2011 NBA lockout. He stayed with Memphis until the lockout ended.

After he retired from playing, Walton became a player development coach. He joined the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the NBA Development League in November 2013. This was for the 2013–14 season.

Golden State Warriors (2014–2016)

In the 2014–15 season, Walton became an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. He mentioned that they would use parts of the "triangle offense," which he knew very well. The Warriors won the 2015 NBA Finals. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. This gave Walton his third NBA championship, and his first as a coach.

During the 2015–16 training camp, Walton became the Warriors' interim head coach. This happened because Steve Kerr took time off to recover from back issues. Walton's coaching debut was on October 27. The Warriors won 111–95 against the New Orleans Pelicans. A few games later, they had a huge win against the Memphis Grizzlies, 119–69. This was one of the biggest wins in the team's history. The Warriors set a new NBA record by winning their first four games by a total of 100 points.

On November 24, the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers. This gave them 16 wins in a row to start the season, which was a new NBA record. Walton was named the NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month for October and November. He led Golden State to a 19–0 start. Even though he was the coach, the team's record was officially given to Steve Kerr. This is because Kerr was still the main head coach. The Warriors continued their record-breaking start, reaching 24–0. They were 39–4 when Kerr returned to coaching full-time in January 2016. Golden State finished the season with an NBA-record 73–9. Kerr was voted the NBA Coach of the Year. Kerr asked Walton, who coached more games that season, to sit with him at the award press conference.

Los Angeles Lakers (2016–2019)

On April 29, 2016, the Lakers hired Walton to be their new head coach. He took over after Byron Scott.

In his first season with the Lakers, the team improved. They finished 26–56, better than their previous 17–65 record. During the season, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took over from Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss. Both Johnson and Pelinka spoke highly of Walton. They said he would stay as the head coach. The Lakers won five of their last six games that season. This gave them good momentum for the next season.

Walton's second season with the Lakers also showed improvement. The team finished 35–47. This was their best record since the 2012–13 season.

In the 2018–19 season, the Lakers had high hopes. They had signed LeBron James. The team also had young players and experienced veterans. After starting 2–5, the team faced challenges. Key players like James and Rajon Rondo got injured. This led to a difficult period for the team. The Lakers finished the season 37–45. Many players missed games due to injuries. Walton used more than 25 different starting lineups that season. On April 12, 2019, Walton and the Lakers decided to part ways. Under Walton, the Lakers had a record of 98 wins and 148 losses. They did not make the playoffs in any of his three seasons.

Sacramento Kings (2019–2021)

On April 14, 2019, the Sacramento Kings hired Walton as their head coach. He had played with Kings general manager Vlade Divac on the Lakers in 2004–05. The 2019–20 season started with the Kings losing their first five games. This was partly because forward Marvin Bagley III broke his thumb. However, Sacramento then won six of their next eight games. They finished the season 31–41. Divac resigned after the season.

The Kings finished 31–41 again in the 2020–21 season. This meant the team had missed the playoffs for 15 seasons in a row. This was the longest active streak in the league. On November 21, 2021, the Kings fired Walton. This happened after the team started the 2021–22 season with a 6–11 record. He had a record of 68 wins and 93 losses in his two-plus seasons with the team.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2022–2024)

On May 31, 2022, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Walton. He became an assistant coach under J. B. Bickerstaff.

Detroit Pistons (2024–Present)

On July 12, 2024, the Detroit Pistons hired Walton. He joined as the lead assistant coach, continuing to work with J. B. Bickerstaff.

Broadcasting Career

In 2013, Luke Walton was hired by Spectrum SportsNet. This network was known as Time Warner Cable SportsNet back then. He joined their Lakers on-air broadcast team.

Personal Life

In 2009, Luke Walton and his father, Bill, made history. They became the third father-son duo to both win NBA championships as players. The other duos were the Guokases (Matt Sr. and Matt Jr.) and the Barrys (Rick and Brent). The Waltons later became the first father-son duo to each win multiple NBA titles.

Luke Walton married his long-time girlfriend, Bre Ladd, in 2013. They met in 2002 at the University of Arizona. Bre played volleyball on their varsity team. They started dating in 2005. Luke and Bre have two children together.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head Coaching Record

See also

In Spanish: Luke Walton para niños