Thomas Walkup

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Thomas Walkup
File:2022-03-10 ALBA Berlin gegen Olympiacos Piraeus (EuroLeague 2021-22) by Sandro Halank–028.jpg
Walkup with Olympiacos in 2022
No. 0 – Olympiacos
PositionPoint guard
LeagueGBL
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1992-12-30) December 30, 1992 (age 33)
Pasadena, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Greek
Listed height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolDeer Park (Deer Park, Texas)
CollegeStephen F. Austin (2012–2016)
NBA draft2016: undrafted
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Windy City Bulls
2017–2018Riesen Ludwigsburg
2018–2021Žalgiris Kaunas
2021–presentOlympiacos
Career highlights
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Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Thomas Ryan Walkup (Greek: Τόμας Γουόκαπ, born December 30, 1992) is an American-born naturalized Greek professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Greek national team in international competition. Widely considered one of the premier defensive players in European basketball, he was named the EuroLeague Best Defender in 2024.

Walkup played college basketball for Stephen F. Austin State University, before being named Southland Conference Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons (2015 and 2016). He reached three consecutive EuroLeague Final Four tournaments with Olympiakos between 2022 and 2024, including the competition's final in 2023.

High school career

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Born in Pasadena, Texas,[1] Walkup attended Deer Park High School in nearby Deer Park. He was a point guard in his junior season for the varsity basketball team and averaged 10.1 points, 5.0 blocks, 4.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.[2] Walkup also earned all-district honors after helping the Deer finish the season with a 24–11 record. He also lifted them to a bi-district round victory at the Class 5A playoffs. As a senior, Walkup averaged 25.9 points and 8.9 rebounds with Deer Park.[2] In his years with the school, he faced two ACL injuries and a broken foot.[3][4]

In November 2010, Walkup committed to play college basketball at Stephen F. Austin State University for the Lumberjacks. He chose the school because he aspired to compete in the NCAA Division I tournament and they ran a successful program.[4] Houston Baptist was the only other school that offered him a scholarship.[5] Walkup later said, "There was a reason I didn’t have any other scholarship offers besides those two—I wasn't any good."[5] His father commented on Walkup's recruitment, "I'm sure scouts looked at him and said, 'Well, he's a 6–4 white guy and he can't shoot and he plays the four. And we don't need that.'"[6]

College career

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Walkup immediately assumed a big role with the Lumberjacks as the team's sixth man during his freshman season. In 18.5 minutes per game, he averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. He recorded a season-best 11 points twice, against Tulsa on November 24, 2012, and versus McNeese State on January 5, 2013. That season, the Lumberjacks won a school-record 27 games, winning their third Southland Conference title of all-time and qualifying for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).[2]

As a junior at Stephen F. Austin, Walkup averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. His teammates began referring to him as "The Snake", after establishing his ability for rebounds, consistently drawing fouls for opposing players, and providing scrappy defense for the Lumberjacks. He was named Southland Conference Player of the Year in 2015.[7]

In the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Walkup scored 33 points in a 70–56 upset over third-seeded West Virginia.[8] He shot 19-for-20 on free throws.

Professional career

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After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Walkup joined the Golden State Warriors for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 26, 2016, he signed with the Chicago Bulls.[9] However, he was later waived by the Bulls on October 21 after appearing in four preseason games.[10] On October 30, he was acquired by the Windy City Bulls of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of Chicago.[11]

On August 10, 2017, Walkup signed with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga for the 2017–18 season.[12] In April 2018, he was named to the All-German BBL First Team.[13] On June 21, 2018, Walkup signed with Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[14] Walkup received the LKL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2019.[15] On 27 November 2019, Walkup extended his contract with Žalgiris until the summer of 2021.[16]

On June 11, 2021, Walkup signed a three-year deal with Greek club Olympiacos of the EuroLeague.[17] On April 12, 2023, he agreed on a three-year contract extension through 2027.

Greek National team career

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On April 18, 2023, Walkup received Greek citizenship through honorary naturalization, which was signed by the Minister of the Interior, Makis Voridis, and the President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. This citizenship enabled him to play for the senior Greece national basketball team in major FIBA international competitions and to compete as a native player in Greece's top-tier domestic basketball competitions, including the Greek Basket League, the Greek Basketball Cup, and the Greek Basketball Super Cup.

Walkup played with Greece at the 2024 Olympic Games, where the Greek national team reached the quarterfinals.[18]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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  PIR  Performance index rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

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* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2018–19 Žalgiris 34 18 16.8 .486 .295 .806 2.6 2.2 .5 .0 5.2 5.6
2019–20 28* 21 25.8 .495 .467 .857 3.6 5.5 1.0 .1 9.6 12.7
2020–21 34 34 24.1 .423 .371 .906 3.0 4.5 1.1 — 8.2 10.6
2021–22 Olympiacos 37 37 22.4 .416 .297 .739 2.3 2.7 1.1 .1 6.3 7.5
2022–23 41* 41* 25.1 .443 .333 .854 2.8 5.6 1.8* .1 7.3 11.5
2023–24 40 40 26.4 .376 .302 .767 3.0 4.8 1.6 .1 7.9 9.3
2024–25 26 20 20.1 .426 .340 .615 2.3 4.6 1.0 .1 4.0 7.2
Career 240 211 23.0 .431 .336 .805 2.8 4.3 1.2 .1 7.0 9.2

Basketball Champions League

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Riesen Ludwigsburg 20 20 28.3 .468 .365 .841 4.5 4.5 1.9 .2 11.9
Career 20 20 28.3 .468 .365 .841 4.5 4.5 1.9 .2 11.9

Domestic leagues

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† Denotes season in which Walkup won a League title
Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 United States Windy City Bulls D-League 40 24.4 .457 .282 .845 3.9 3.4 1.0 .1 7.6
2017–18 Germany Riesen Ludwigsburg BBL 39 27.6 .500 .418 .828 5.1 4.5 1.7 .1 11.8
2018–19† Lithuania Žalgiris LKL 43 18.7 .478 .291 .787 3.1 2.9 1.2 .0 6.6
2019–20† Lithuania Žalgiris LKL 22 17.1 .490 .395 .826 3.2 4.2 .9 — 7.1
2020–21† Lithuania Žalgiris LKL 38 21.9 .480 .403 .833 3.4 5.7 1.7 .1 9.4
2021–22† Greece Olympiacos GBL 31 18.2 .414 .286 .775 2.4 3.6 1.2 .0 6.0
2022–23† Greece Olympiacos GBL 31 20.7 .476 .325 .688 2.4 5.5 1.4 .1 5.5
2023–24 Greece Olympiacos GBL 31 23.4 .487 .410 .717 3.2 4.7 1.0 .1 6.9
2024–25† Greece Olympiacos GBL 18 21.1 .483 .379 .692 2.6 4.2 1.1 .1 4.2

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Stephen F. Austin Redshirt Redshirt
2012–13 Stephen F. Austin 32 0 18.5 .505 .455 .605 3.6 1.3 .8 .1 4.4
2013–14 Stephen F. Austin 35 34 28.4 .568 .359 .733 5.3 2.1 1.1 .3 13.1
2014–15 Stephen F. Austin 34 34 27.7 .613 .262 .744 6.5 3.7 1.2 .2 15.6
2015–16 Stephen F. Austin 34 34 29.5 .588 .256 .818 6.9 4.5 2.1 .5 18.1
Career 135 102 26.2 .568 .305 .759 5.6 2.9 1.3 .3 12.9

Awards and accomplishments

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Club career

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Riesen Ludwigsburg

Žalgiris Kaunas

Olympiacos

Individual

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Personal life

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Walkup was born on December 30, 1992, to Lisa and Raymond Walkup and was brought up in Pasadena, Texas.[6] He has an older brother named Nathan who played as a forward for the Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team from the 2007–08 season to 2010–11 season.[4] Both players graduated at Deer Park High School and played under Coach Louis Means. Walkup has often been known for his beard, which drew the attention of several media outlets during the 2016 NCAA Tournament.[3][5][6][19] Entering that year's tournament, he had not shaved since November 1, 2015.[6] Walkup claimed that he had been asked to shave it, but he felt that it fit in with Stephen F. Austin's mascot, the Lumberjacks.[3] His appearance has also been compared with Philadelphia Phillies baseball player Bryce Harper. He has also been nicknamed "Fresh Cut" by Barry Knight.[8]

References

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