Few players have entered the NBA and made the immediate impact that Walt Bellamy did. But just as quickly as he busted onto the NBA scene he slipped quietly away from stardom. He was however still a very good player. Bellamy had one of the greatest college careers in the history of the NCAA. His senior season at Indiana he averaged an astounding 22 points and 18 rebounds. He set the NCAA record for most rebounds in a career with 1,087 in only 70 games. He played only three years at Indiana before going pro owning averages of 21 points and 16 rebounds. The upstart Chicago Packers had the first pick in the 1961 and selected Bellamy. Bellamy’s rookie year is arguably the greatest rookie season any NBA player has ever had. He averaged 32 points a game and 19 rebounds a game. The 32 points is the second highest scoring average for a rookie in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain. His play earned him Rookie of the Year honors, but the team finished 18-62. The Packers where renamed the Zyphyrs and added Terry Dischinger, who would also win rookie of the year, and would take away from some of the scoring opportunities for Bellamy. Still, Bellamy managed to average 28 points and 17 rebounds. In 1963 the Zyphyrs moved from Chicago to Baltimore and became the Bullets.

Bellamy’s career is interesting in that his numbers got progressively lower each season. He never accomplished the feats set his rookie year and despite being a fantastic player only made the all-star team in his four years with the Bullets franchise. The four seasons he played in Chicago and Baltimore are his best by far. He averaged 25 or more points in all 4 and 15 or more rebounds as well.

The Bullets traded Bellamy to the Knicks 8 games into the 1965-66 season. Bellamy saw success with the Knicks but never lived up to his former billing. He had four successful seasons in New York averaging a double-double before he was traded to the Pistons for Dave DeBuschere. His trade to the Pistons created a unique thing for Bellamy. The Knicks had played 6 more games than Pistons when the trade was done so Bellamy got the play in a league record 88 games that season.

In his first half season with the Pistons Bellamy seen him numbers increase for the first time in his career but that increase would not last. The second half season his numbers fell dramatically and he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks.

He had some success with the Hawks in his five years there including seeing his scoring jump to 19 a game in 1972. 26 of his 46 career playoff games were also with the Hawks. Injuries were taking their toll on Bellamy by 1974 even though he played through them the Hawks were concerned. As part of their trade agreement with the expansion New Orleans Jazz which sent Pistol Pete Maravich to the Jazz for the #1 pick the Jazz also had to select Bellamy in the expansion draft. The Jazz did and Bellamy would play one game with the Jazz before retiring.

Bellamy played in 1,043 career games and owns an average of 20 points and 14 rebounds. He was selected to the basketball hall of fame in 1993.

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