Donnie Walsh is a former president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
16 Facts About Donnie Walsh
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Donnie Walsh was recruited to play college basketball at the University of North Carolina for then head coach Frank McGuire.
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Donnie Walsh was selected by the San Francisco Warriors in the 11th round of the 1962 NBA draft, but never played in the NBA.
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Donnie Walsh earned both a bachelor's degree and a law degree at UNC.
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Donnie Walsh turned down opportunities to practice law in New York City in order to continue to coach basketball.
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Donnie Walsh served as an assistant coach for several college teams, including twelve seasons at the University of South Carolina, working with McGuire, who was the Gamecocks' head coach.
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Donnie Walsh helped South Carolina to an undefeated ACC regular season in 1970, an ACC Tournament championship in 1971, and three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances from 1971 to 1973.
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Donnie Walsh was hired as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets by Larry Brown in 1977.
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Donnie Walsh became the head coach of the Nuggets in 1979 and held the position for a year and a half, being replaced with Doug Moe in 1980.
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Donnie Walsh later took a position as general manager with the Pacers, where in 1987 he made the then-controversial decision to select Reggie Miller in the NBA Draft over local hero Steve Alford of Indiana University.
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Donnie Walsh immediately recognized the expensive long-term contracts the Knicks carried.
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On June 3,2011, Donnie Walsh resigned as general manager, but remained with the team as a consultant.
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On June 27,2012, Donnie Walsh returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations as Larry Bird stepped down.
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In 2013, Donnie Walsh helped the Pacers win the Central Division and reach the NBA Eastern Conference finals, where the team lost to eventual NBA Champion Miami Heat.
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On June 27,2013, Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations; Donnie Walsh stepped down from his role as president and accepted a position as a consultant.
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Donnie Walsh still attends Pacers games, usually seated near Bird and team general manager Kevin Pritchard.