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Ja'Kobe Walter

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Ja'Kobe Walter
Walter with the Baylor Bears in 2024
No. 14 – Toronto Raptors
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
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→Raptors 905
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Ja'Kobe Amare Walter (born September 4, 2004) is an American basketball player for 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.

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]

College recruiting information
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 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   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 the team.[15]

However, Walter missed the beginning of the season, including training camp, because of an AC joint sprain. On October 28, 2024, Walter was assigned to the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League,[16] but was eventually recalled on the same day.[17] Walter was assigned to the 905 a second time on October 29, 2024, and was recalled on October 31, 2024. [18]

On November 1, 2024, Walter made his NBA debut.[19]

On November 27, 2024, Walter had received his first NBA start in his career, and he achieved his first double-double with 11 rebounds, 14 points and 5 assists in a 119–93 road win against the New Orleans Pelicans.[20]

On December 22, 2024, Walter scored a career high of 27 points in a 114-110 home loss against the Houston Rockets.[citation needed]

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.[21] His parents named him after basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.[22] Walter is a Christian and has said that his faith "allowed him to stay humble and use his gifts to serve others".[23]

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 New York Times. 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 and 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. 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. ^ Rose, Aaron (October 28, 2024). "Raptors Share Plans for Rookie 1st Round Pick as Injury Ramp Up Continues". si.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  17. ^ "Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Recalled to NBA". cbssports.com. October 29, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  18. ^ "Ja'Kobe Walter F #14". basketball.realgm.com.
  19. ^ Taylor, Cody (November 25, 2024). "Raptors recall Ja'Kobe Walter from G League after productive 905 stint". sports.yahoo.com.
  20. ^ Grange, Michael (November 28, 2024). "Raptors Takeaways: Contributions from entire lineup lead to first road win". sportsnet.ca.
  21. ^ "Ja'Kobe Walter Parents". Sportskeeda. June 19, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "Toronto Raptors draft Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter 19th overall in NBA Draft". The Globe and Mail. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  23. ^ Kruse, Ethan (January 25, 2023). "Ja'Kobe Walter - Keep God First". His Huddle. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
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