Wikipedia

Ja'Kobe Walter

Ja'Kobe Amare Walter (born September 4, 2004) is an American basketball player for Raptors 905 of the NBA G League, on assignment from the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Baylor Bears. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.

Ja'Kobe Walter
Walter with the Baylor Bears in 2024
No. 14 – Raptors 905
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2004-09-04) September 4, 2004 (age 20)
Dallas, Texas, U.S
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeBaylor (2023–2024)
NBA draft2024: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentToronto Raptors
2024–present→Raptors 905
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life and high school career

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Walter grew up in McKinney, Texas and initially attended McKinney High School.[1] A shooting guard, he averaged 23.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.3 steals per game as a junior as McKinney won the state championship.[2] Walter transferred to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri prior to the start of his senior year.[3] Walter was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[4][5] He was also selected to play for Team USA in the Nike Hoops Summit.[6]

Recruiting

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Walter was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[7][8][9] On June 22, 2022, he committed to playing college basketball for Baylor over offers from Texas, Auburn, and Alabama.[10]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ja'Kobe Walter
SG 		McKinney, TX Link Academy (MO) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jun 22, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 13  247Sports: 8  ESPN: 8
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Baylor 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  • "2023 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.

College career

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Walter enrolled at Baylor University in June 2023 to take part in summer practices.[11] In his college debut against Auburn, Walter set the Baylor school record for points in a debut by a freshman, netting 28 on the night.[12] He averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Walter was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.[13]

Professional career

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Toronto Raptors / Raptors 905 (2024–present)

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On June 26, 2024, Walter was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2024 NBA draft[14] and on July 4, he signed with them.[15]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Baylor 35 35 32.3 .376 .341 .792 4.4 1.4 1.1 .2 14.5

Personal life

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Walter was born and raised in McKinney, Texas, where he has deep family roots. Walter's father, Eddie Walter, played college basketball for Birmingham-Southern College from 1994 to 1996.[16] His parents named him after basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.[17] Walter is a Christian and has said that his faith "allowed him to stay humble and use his gifts to serve others".[18]

References

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  1. ^ Dimmitt, Zach (April 30, 2022). "Elite In-State SG Ja'Kobe Walter Visiting Texas this Weekend". SI.com. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  2. ^ "Baylor lands 5-star shooting guard Ja'Kobe Walter". The Athletic. June 21, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  3. ^ McFarland, Shawn (May 5, 2022). "McKinney five-star junior Ja'Kobe Walter will play final season at Link Academy (Mo.)". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "Baylor signee Walter named McDonald's All-American". Waco Tribune-Herald. January 24, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  5. ^ Wert, Jason (January 27, 2023). "Link Academy's Walter to play in McDonald's All American Game". Branson Tri-Lakes News. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  6. ^ Vecenie, Sam (February 14, 2023). "Bronny James, DJ Wagner, 'JuJu' Watkins headline Nike Hoop Summit rosters". The Athletic. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  7. ^ McFarland, Shawn (April 21, 2022). "Four Dallas-area freshmen highlight ESPN top 25 boys basketball recruits list for the class of 2025". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Bedore, Gary (May 6, 2022). "Kansas Jayhawks basketball recruiting update: No. 17 player in 2023 class has KU on list". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Jenkins, Brandon (May 4, 2022). "Composite five-star guard Ja'Kobe Walter announces his top eight". 247Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (June 22, 2022). "ESPN 100 recruit Ja'Kobe Walter chooses 'winning history,' will join Baylor men's basketball program". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Hodge, Ashley (June 14, 2023). "Wingspan Wednesday: Summer Basketball Workouts Begin at Baylor". Sicem365.com. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Miner, Andrew (November 7, 2023). "Ja'Kobe Walter Breaks Baylor Freshman Scoring Record in Bears season opening win". 247Sports. 247Sports. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Brennan, Brian (May 21, 2024). "Sixers draft profile: Ja'Kobe Walter has intriguing shooting, scoring upside". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Rose, Aaron (June 27, 2024). "Raptors Share Excitement & Scouting Report for New 1st Round Pick". SI.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "RAPTORS SIGN WALTER, MOGBO AND SHEAD". NBA.com. July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  16. ^ SK Desk (June 19, 2024). "Ja'Kobe Walter Parents". Sportskeeda. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "Toronto Raptors draft Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter 19th overall in NBA Draft". The Globe and Mail. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  18. ^ Kruse, Ethan. "Ja'Kobe Walter - Keep God First". His Huddle. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
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