Walter Piatkowski Jr. (born June 11, 1945) is a retired American professional basketball player.
A 6'8" forward, Piatkowski began his career at Toledo Woodward High School then starred at Bowling Green State University, where he was a Converse Honorable Mention All-American in 1968.[1] He then played in the American Basketball Association from 1968 to 1970 as a member of the Denver Rockets. He received ABA All-Rookie Team honors with the Rockets in 1969 after averaging 12.2 points per game.[2] When the Rockets acquired Spencer Haywood the next season, Piatkowski saw his playing time drop, and in 1970, he briefly retired to work as a teacher. He returned to the ABA in the fall of 1971 as a member of The Floridians, but he was waived just a month into that season. He later became a salesman with a paper company.[3] He is Polish American.[4]
Piatkowski's son Eric Piatkowski played basketball at the University of Nebraska; was drafted into the NBA in 1994 as the 15th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers; and played 14 years in the NBA, mostly with the Los Angeles Clippers.[3]
Career statistics
| 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 |
ABA
Source[5]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | Denver | 77 | 23.6 | .417 | .329 | .775 | 4.7 | .6 | 12.2 |
| 1969–70 | Denver | 74 | 17.6 | .402 | .220 | .768 | 3.4 | .6 | 7.0 |
| 1971–72 | Florida | 6 | 4.7 | .188 | – | – | .3 | .3 | 1.0 |
| Career | 157 | 20.1 | .409 | .288 | .772 | 3.9 | .6 | 9.3 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Denver | 7 | 28.7 | .432 | .111 | .909 | 4.1 | .9 | 15.3 |
| 1970 | Denver | 6 | 8.3 | .500 | .250 | .500 | 1.8 | .7 | 4.5 |
| Career | 13 | 19.3 | .444 | .154 | .800 | 3.1 | .8 | 10.3 | |
References
- ^ BGSU Men's Basketball 2009-10. 87. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
- ^ Walter Piatkowski. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
- ^ a b Chris Baker. "Clippers watching rising son". Los Angeles Times. October 31, 1994. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
- ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Walt Piatkowski ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
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