Luke Walton

by Phil Allen

Luke is the son of Bill Walton, of course. Born March 28th in San Diego, CA, his full name is Luke Theodore Walton. He is one of Bills three sons who all grew up playing basketball often playing the game together. Luke has a tattoo on his arm depicting the three bothers playing basketball.

Luke is a fan favorite. When he gets the ball fans often yell Luuuuuke over and over. When he makes a good play the Starwars theme often plays at Staples in reference to his namesake Luke Skywalker. He was not named after Skywalker though. His father named him after his longtime friend and NBA player Maurice Lucas.

Luke played his college ball under Arizona coach Lute Olson and was drafted by the Lakers with there third pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Not certain by many to even make the team, some observers, namely Marty Burns, thought him an outright “steal” in the draft. Luke went on to easily make the team.

While Luke is sound at most of basketballs fundamentals his passing is by far his best asset. He sometimes passes too much but has stopped that annoying habit as of late. He has good size for the small forward spot and has fit well into the Lakers triangle offense.

Walton has been injured several times in his short career and it has slowed his adaptation to the game. Recently his minutes have gone up and he has risen to the occasion.

In the Lakers last game Luke came off the bench to score 13 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers. He will no doubt get more time if he plays like he did last night on a consistent basis.

His grasp of the fundamentals has made him a Phil Jackson favorite. He is well liked by players and likely to be with the Lakers a long while. Next year might be a breakout for him.

“Use the force Luke.”

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