Lucas Walker

For the fictional character, see List of Wednesday characters § Lucas Walker.
Lucas Walker
Walker with the Perth Wildcats in 2017
Sutherland Sharks
PositionForward
LeagueNBL1 East
Personal information
Born (1984-12-06) 6 December 1984
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Listed height202 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight102 kg (225 lb)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2009: undrafted
Playing career2002–present
Career history
2002Launceston Tigers
2003North-West Tasmania Thunder
2004Australian Institute of Sport
2010Dandenong Rangers
2010–2015Melbourne Tigers/United
2013Ballarat Miners
2015–2016Dandenong Rangers
2015–2016Adelaide 36ers
2016–2018Perth Wildcats
2017Mackay Meteors
2018Frankston Blues
2018–2019Cairns Taipans
2019Nunawading Spectres
2019–2020Sydney Kings
2022–2023Illawarra Hawks
2026–presentSutherland Sharks
Career highlights
Medals
Representing  Australia
Men's Basketball
Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold Coast Team competition

Lucas Benson Walker (born 6 December 1984) is an Australian basketball player for the Sutherland Sharks of the NBL1 East. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2010 and 2020. He played college basketball for Montana State University Billings and Saint Mary's College of California before joining the Melbourne Tigers in 2010. After five seasons with Melbourne, he had stints with the Adelaide 36ers, Perth Wildcats, Cairns Taipans and Sydney Kings. He won an NBL championship with the Wildcats in 2017.

Early life and career

Walker was born in Launceston, Tasmania,[1][2][3] where he attended West Launceston Primary School, Riverside High School and Launceston College.[4] He debuted in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2002 with the Launceston Tigers before joining the North-West Tasmania Thunder for the 2003 SEABL season.[5][6] In 2004, he attended the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra,[7] where he played for the AIS men's team in the SEABL.[8]

College career

Walker moved to the United States to attend Montana State University Billings, where as a freshman in 2004–05, he was named the Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20 games (17 starts).[9] As a sophomore in 2005–06, he averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22 games (17 starts).[9]

In 2006, Walker transferred to Saint Mary's College of California. After redshirting the 2006–07 season due to NCAA transfer rules, he appeared in 25 games off the bench for the Gaels in 2007–08, averaging 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 9.3 minutes per game. As a senior in 2008–09, he played 25 games (8 starts) and averaged 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.[9]

Professional career

Upon returning to Australia, Walker played for the Dandenong Rangers during the 2010 SEABL season before joining the Melbourne Tigers for the 2010–11 NBL season.[10] He played four seasons with the Tigers and then continued with the franchise when it was rebranded to Melbourne United in 2014. In 131 games between 2010–11 and 2014–15, he averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.[11] During this time, he played the 2013 SEABL with the Ballarat Miners,[12] and the 2015 SEABL season with the Dandenong Rangers.[13]

For the 2015–16 NBL season, Walker played for the Adelaide 36ers.[14][15] For the 2016 SEABL season, he returned to the Rangers.[16]

After having a pre-season stint with the Brisbane Bullets,[17] Walker joined the Perth Wildcats in September 2016 as an injury replacement for Matthew Knight.[18][19] On 20 October 2016, after Knight was given the all-clear to return to action, Walker was removed from the active 11-man playing roster.[20] Despite being unable to return to the court for the Wildcats for the remainder of the 2016–17 season, Walker remained a training player, was a member of the championship-winning team, and was named the recipient of the Club Coaches' Award.[21] After playing in the Queensland Basketball League with the Mackay Meteors during the 2017 off-season,[22] Walker re-joined the Wildcats for the 2017–18 season as a full-time player.[23] On 8 December 2017, Walker had 12 points and 16 rebounds in an 88–79 win over the Adelaide 36ers. Twelve of his 16 rebounds were offensive, the most ever recorded in the NBL's 40-minute era.[24]

After a short off-season stint with the Frankston Blues in the SEABL,[25] Walker joined the Cairns Taipans for the 2018–19 NBL season.[26] Following the season, the Taipans cut ties with Walker.[27] In April 2019, Walker joined the Nunawading Spectres of the NBL1 for the 2019 season.[28] He helped the Spectres win the NBL1 championship.[29][30]

On 2 September 2019, Walker signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2019–20 NBL season.[31]

Walker announced his retirement from the NBL on 1 February 2021.[32][33]

Walker joined the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL1 East for the 2022 NBL1 season.[34] He returned to the Hawks for the 2023 NBL1 East season.[35]

After a two-year absence, Walker joined the Sutherland Sharks for the 2026 NBL1 East season.[36]

National team career

In 2014, Walker played for the Australian Boomers in the Sino-Australia Challenge series against China.[3] He played for the Boomers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games[2] and during the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.[37]

Walker helped the Australia 3x3 team win silver at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup[38] and then competed at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup.[39]

Personal life

Walker is the son of Robert and Sharyn, and has a sister named Ashleigh.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Lucas Waller". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Lucas Walker Results | Commonwealth Games Australia". commonwealthgames.com.au. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b Smith, Adam (4 June 2014). "Boom time for Tasmanian basketball talent Lucas Walker". themercury.com.au. Retrieved 24 February 2026. Born in Launceston, Walker moved to the AIS in 2003 before heading to Montana State University Billings in 2004.
  4. ^ Shaw, Rob (31 May 2014). "Walker stars in Aussie victory". examiner.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016.
  5. ^ Whelan, Melanie (2 August 2013). "Lucas Walker's game improves on and off the court". thecourier.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2019. This is Walker's fifth foray into the SEABL – and his fifth SEABL club. Walker started as a 17-year-old with the now-defunct Launceston Tigers. He transferred to NW Tasmania the next season when the Tigers hit financial problems. A year later he moved to the Australian Institute of Sport, which fielded a team in the league, and then went to college for five years in the United States before suiting up for Dandenong.
  6. ^ "Lucas Walker - Player Statistics SEABL 2003". GameDay. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Past Athletes". ausport.gov.au. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Lucas Walker - Player Statistics SEABL 2004". GameDay. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d "#12 Lucas Walker". smcgaels.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Tigers add three". sportando.com. 12 May 2010. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Player statistics for Lucas Walker". NBL. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  12. ^ "BALLARAT SIGN MELBOURNE TIGERS STAR LUCAS WALKER". SEABL.com.au. 6 March 2013. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014.
  13. ^ Shevelove, Marty (7 April 2015). "Big men give Rangers an imposing front court". heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Walker signs for Adelaide 36ers". Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  15. ^ NBL: Lucas Walker switches from Melbourne to Adelaide
  16. ^ "Lucas Walker - Player Statistics SEABL 2016". GameDay. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  17. ^ "BULLETS PREPARED FOR MILESTONE MOMENT". BrisbaneBullets.com.au. 29 August 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  18. ^ "MATT KNIGHT TO MISS START OF SEASON". Wildcats.com.au. 12 September 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  19. ^ "LUCAS WALKER JOINS WILDCATS". Wildcats.com.au. 12 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  20. ^ "MATT KNIGHT TO RETURN FROM INJURY". Wildcats.com.au. 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  21. ^ "CASEY PRATHER MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK GORDON ELLIS MEDALS". Wildcats.com.au. 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Meteors bring in NBL player to cover injured Harvey's spot". DailyMercury.com.au. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  23. ^ "LUCAS WALKER SIGNS WITH PERTH WILDCATS". Wildcats.com.au. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Wildcats too good for 36ers". Wildcats.com.au. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  25. ^ "TRIST AND RICHARDS HEADLINE SENIOR BLUES AWARD WINNERS". fdba.com.au. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  26. ^ "Taipans Begin Rebuild with Lucas Walker". NBL.com.au. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  27. ^ "Eventful Off-Season Leads 'Waxy' to First 3×3 Crack". 3x3hustle.com. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Australian Boomer Lucas Walker Joins Nunawading". NBL1.com.au. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Grand Final - Nunawading vs Bendigo". NBL1.com.au. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  30. ^ "Spectres vs Braves". FIBALiveStats.com. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  31. ^ "Sydney Finalise Roster with Lucas Walker". NBL.com.au. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  32. ^ "Shout out to one of the good guys, Lucas 'Waxy' Walker, who has announced his retirement after a decade of dedication to the NBL and basketball in Australia". facebook.com/TheNBL. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  33. ^ Hersz, Tom (17 February 2021). "Waxy Calls Time on Playing Career". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Basketball Illawarra is very excited to announce that Former NBL Player, Lucas Walker, will be suiting up for our inaugural NBL1 season". facebook.com/IllawarraBasketball. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  35. ^ "NBL1 East Illawarra Hawks Round 3 Recap". hawks.com.au. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  36. ^ "Lucas Walker returns to NBL1 with the Sutherland Sharks for the 2026 season". www.nbl1.com.au. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  37. ^ "Lucas Benson Walker (Australia) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  38. ^ "Our Gold & Silver Gangurrus". australia.basketball. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  39. ^ "3x3 World Cup Tips Off for Australia". NBL.com.au. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
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