Former North Carolina basketball player Walter Davis, a NBA All-Star and the uncle of current Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis, died Thursday morning of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, the school announced.
He was 69.
Davis, then a freshman, made one of the most famous shots in UNC history, a 25-foot shot as the buzzer against Duke to cap an eight-point comeback in the final 17 seconds of regulation and force overtime in 1974. UNC won in overtime.
Davis, a Pineville native, was a two-time All-ACC selection, including in 1977 when he led the Tar Heels to an ACC Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament title game. Davis is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
“This was the first guy that I saw that was much taller than me and quicker and faster than me,” former UNC player and coach Phil Ford said on 99.9 The Fan. “He was a great, great player.”
Ford said Davis was the best man at his wedding, and he was the best man at Davis’ wedding. Ford was driving with Erroll Reese, a co-host of 99.9 The Fan’s “The Sports Shop,” to Charlotte to pick up Davis and bring him to Chapel Hill.
Davis had been battling health problems recently, Reese said.
Davis finished his UNC career with 1,863 points, 670 rebounds and 409 assists.
“He doesn’t get his due,” Ford said. “He was just a great all-around person that happened to be a great basketball player.”
Ford said Davis was “Carolina all the way. He loved Carolina as much as anybody.”
“That’s how we have Hubert now,” Ford said. “We probably wouldn’t have Hubert Jr. if Walter didn’t come there.
Davis was the 1978 NBA Rookie of the Year with Phoenix, earned six All-Star appearances and had his No. 6 retired by the franchise.
“This is a sad, sad day with the passing of Walter Davis, one of our all-time great basketball players and an even nicer person,” former UNC coach Roy Williams said. “Coach (Dean) Smith and Coach (Bill) Guthridge used to rave about how much fun it was to coach Walter. I got to watch him as a fan and loved getting to know him later. The big shot to end the ‘eight points in 17 seconds’ game against Duke will stay with us forever as will many other fantastic moments. Walter is a truly great Tar Heel.”
