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Walter Jones Bellamy (born July 24, 1939 in New Bern, North Carolina) is a former pro basketball player. His half-brother is professional boxer Ron Bellamy.
Bellamy had a stellar 14 year career in the NBA and was the NBA first overall draft pick in 1962. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1962, and his 31.6 point per game average that season is second all-time for a rookie to Wilt Chamberlain's 37.6. Bellamy also grabbed 19.0 rebounds per game that year — third best all-time for a rookie (to Chamberlain and Bill Russell). Due to trade scheduling skews during the 1968-69 season, Bellamy set the still-standing record for NBA games played in a single season with 88.
Back in 1961, Walt Bellamy was a celebrated rookie with the Chicago Zephyers (which later became the Baltimore Bullets). The media called him "Big Bells" because he would average 31.6 points that season and would be named the NBA's Rookie of the Year. However, the first time that Bellamy faced Chamberlain, this is what happened as they met at mid-court for the opening center jump:
"Hi, Mister Chamberlain. My name is Walter Bellamy."
"I know who the (bleep) you are, rook. And I'm telling you right now that I'm going to bust your (bleep). In fact, you're not even going to get a shot off of me. Not a single one."
So it was that Chamberlain's overwhelming defense rendered Bellamy shotless for the entire first half. At the tip-off for the second half, Chamberlain finally took pity on the poor rookie:
"OK, Walter. Now you can play."
From then on, veteran NBA players began calling Bellamy "Tinker Bell."
Bellamy is a prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.
Bellamy was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
The 1960 Olympics
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | ||
 |
1960 Rome | Basketball |
Bellamy was the starting center on the gold medal-winning American basketball team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Ten of the twelve college players on the undefeated American squad went on to play professionally in the NBA, including Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas.
External links
| United States basketball squad – 1960 Summer Olympics – Gold medal | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
- 1939 births
- African American basketball players
- Alpha Phi Alpha brothers
- American basketball players
- Atlanta Hawks players
- Baltimore Bullets players
- Basketball Hall of Fame
- Chicago Packers players
- Chicago Zephyrs players
- Detroit Pistons players
- Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players
- Living people
- New Orleans Jazz players
- New York Knicks players
- North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
- Olympic competitors for the United States
- People from North Carolina
- Indiana University alumni