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.
 Walter with the Baylor Bears in 2024 | |
| No. 14 – Toronto Raptors | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 4, 2004 Dallas, Texas, U.S |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | Baylor (2023–2024) |
| NBA draft | 2024: 1st round, 19th overall pick |
| Selected by the Toronto Raptors | |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Toronto Raptors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life and high school career
editWalter 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
editWalter 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]
| 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 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
editWalter 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
editToronto Raptors (2024–present)
editOn 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
editWalter 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
edit- ^ Dimmitt, Zach (April 30, 2022). "Elite In-State SG Ja'Kobe Walter Visiting Texas this Weekend". SI.com. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Baylor lands 5-star shooting guard Ja'Kobe Walter". The Athletic. June 21, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Baylor signee Walter named McDonald's All-American". Waco Tribune-Herald. January 24, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Vecenie, Sam (February 14, 2023). "Bronny James, DJ Wagner, 'JuJu' Watkins headline Nike Hoop Summit rosters". The Athletic. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Jenkins, Brandon (May 4, 2022). "Composite five-star guard Ja'Kobe Walter announces his top eight". 247Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hodge, Ashley (June 14, 2023). "Wingspan Wednesday: Summer Basketball Workouts Begin at Baylor". Sicem365.com. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Miner, Andrew (November 7, 2023). "Ja'Kobe Walter Breaks Baylor Freshman Scoring Record in Bears season opening win". 247Sports. 247Sports. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Brennan, Brian (May 21, 2024). "Sixers draft profile: Ja'Kobe Walter has intriguing shooting, scoring upside". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ Rose, Aaron (June 27, 2024). "Raptors Share Excitement & Scouting Report for New 1st Round Pick". SI.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ "RAPTORS SIGN WALTER, MOGBO AND SHEAD". NBA.com. July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ SK Desk (June 19, 2024). "Ja'Kobe Walter Parents". Sportskeeda. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ "Toronto Raptors draft Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter 19th overall in NBA Draft". The Globe and Mail. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Kruse, Ethan. "Ja'Kobe Walter - Keep God First". His Huddle. Retrieved March 20, 2023.