Luke Walton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Luke Walton

Walton with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008
Detroit Pistons
Lead 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).

Walton played 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 for the Golden State Warriors. He also served as the head coach for the Lakers from 2016 to 2019 and for the Sacramento Kings from 2019 to 2021.

Luke Walton played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He was a second-team All-American and was chosen for the first-team all-conference team twice 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, and Luke won in 2009 and 2010. His best playing season was 2006–07, when he averaged over 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

As the Warriors' temporary head coach in 2015–16, he led the team to a record-breaking start. They won their first 24 games of the season.

Early Life and College Basketball

Growing Up in a Basketball Family

Luke Walton was born in San Diego, California, on March 28, 1980. 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 and a former teammate. He has three brothers: Adam, Nathan, and Chris. Luke went to University of San Diego High School in San Diego and graduated in 1998.

Playing for the Arizona Wildcats

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

Luke Walton's NBA Playing Career

Becoming a Los Angeles Laker

The Los Angeles Lakers picked Luke Walton in the 2003 NBA draft. He was the 32nd player chosen overall. Walton quickly became a favorite among Lakers fans. He was known as a selfless and hard-working reserve player. In 2005, he was chosen to represent Team Los Angeles in the Shooting Stars Competition.

Career Highlights and Championships

The 2006–07 season was Walton's best year as an NBA player. He scored a career-high 25 points against the Atlanta Hawks in December 2006. That season, he had his highest averages in minutes played, shooting percentage, steals, blocks, rebounds, assists, and points. He was 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 reached the NBA Finals three years in a row. They lost to the Celtics in 2008. However, they defeated the Magic in 2009 and the Celtics in 2010. These wins gave Walton two championships as a player. This matched the number of championships his father, Bill Walton, had won.

Moving to the Cleveland Cavaliers

On March 15, 2012, Walton was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was traded along with Jason Kapono and a 2012 first-round draft pick. In return, the Lakers received Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga.

Luke Walton's final NBA game was on April 5, 2013. It was a 97-91 victory against the Boston Celtics. In that game, Walton played for 3 minutes and had 2 assists.

Luke Walton's Coaching Journey

Starting as an Assistant Coach

Walton's first experience as a coach was with the University of Memphis. He was hired as an assistant coach during the 2011 NBA lockout. He stayed with Memphis until the lockout ended.

After retiring as a player, Walton became a player development coach. He joined the Los Angeles D-Fenders in November 2013. This team is part of the NBA Development League.

Success with the Golden State Warriors

In the 2014–15 season, Walton became an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. He said he would help the team use parts of the "triangle offense," which he knew well. The Warriors won the 2015 NBA Finals by beating 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' temporary head coach. This happened because head coach Steve Kerr took time off to recover from back issues. Walton's coaching debut was on October 27, 2015, a 111–95 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors set a new NBA record by winning their first four games by a total of 100 points. On November 24, they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, extending their winning streak to 16 games to start the season. This was a new NBA record.

Walton was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for October and November. He led Golden State to a 19–0 start. Even though the team's record was officially credited to Steve Kerr, Walton was still eligible for coaching awards. The Warriors extended their record start to 24–0. They were 39–4 when Kerr returned to coaching full-time on January 22, 2016. Golden State finished the season with an NBA-record 73–9 record. Kerr was voted the NBA Coach of the Year. Kerr asked Walton, who coached more games that season (43–39), to sit with him at the award press conference.

Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers

On April 29, 2016, the Lakers hired Walton as their new head coach. He took over from Byron Scott.

In his first season with the Lakers, the team improved their record. They finished 26–56, better than their previous 17–65 record. During this season, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took over from Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss. Both Johnson and Pelinka praised Walton and said he would remain the head coach. The Lakers won five of their last six games, building positive energy for the next season.

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

In the 2018–19 season, the Lakers had high hopes after signing LeBron James. The team started 2–5, and Johnson reportedly told Walton he needed better results. The Lakers were 20–14 after a Christmas win. However, injuries to James and Rajon Rondo caused the team's performance to decline. They finished the season 37–45. Other key players like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram also missed many games due to injuries. The Lakers 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 98–148 record and did not make the playoffs in any of his three seasons.

Coaching the Sacramento Kings

On April 14, 2019, the Sacramento Kings hired Walton as their head coach. He had been teammates with Kings general manager Vlade Divac on the Lakers in 2004–05. The Kings started the 2019–20 season with an 0–5 record. This was partly because Marvin Bagley III broke his thumb. However, Sacramento improved and 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 2020–21. This extended their playoff drought to 15 seasons, the longest in the league at that time. On November 21, 2021, the Kings fired Walton after a 6–11 start to the 2021–22 season. His record with the team was 68–93 over two and a half seasons.

Return to Assistant Coaching

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

On July 12, 2024, the Detroit Pistons hired Walton as their lead assistant coach. He joined J. B. Bickerstaff there.

Broadcasting Career

In 2013, Luke Walton was hired by Spectrum SportsNet. He joined their Lakers on-air broadcast team.

Personal Life

In 2009, Luke Walton and his father, Bill Walton, became the third father-son duo to both win NBA championships as players. The first two pairs 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, where she played volleyball for the varsity team. They started dating in 2005 and now have two children.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

Head Coaching Record