Walt Hazzard

Walt Hazzard
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Name	Walter "Walt" Hazzard
Position	Point guard
Weight lb	175
Birth date	June 5, 1942
Birth place	Wilmington, North Carolina
Death date	November 16, 2011
Death place	Los Angeles, California
College	UCLA
Drafted year	1964
Drafted by	Los Angeles Lakers
Career start	1964
Career end	1976
Coach start	1976
Coach end	1997
Highlights	Consensus first-team All-American (1964); NCAA champion (1964)

Walt Hazzard was an American collegiate and professional basketball player, coach, and broadcaster best known for leading UCLA to the 1964 NCAA championship and for a ten-year career in the NBA and ABA. A consensus All-American at UCLA Bruins, he played point guard alongside and against notable figures such as Lew Alcindor, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson. After his playing career he served as head coach at UCLA and UC Irvine, and as a broadcaster for Los Angeles Lakers telecasts, influencing generations across NCAA and professional basketball.

Early life and high school

Hazzard was born in Wilmington, North Carolina and raised in Los Angeles, California after his family relocated during the Great Migration era. He attended Palisades High School, where he became a highly touted guard recruited by major programs such as North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, and UCLA. In Southern California prep competition he faced peers from schools like Compton High School and Buchanan High School, and his play attracted attention from scouts connected to the NBA and ABA. As a high school star he earned acclaim in local media outlets that covered teams including Verbum Dei High School and Inglewood.

College career

At UCLA under coach John Wooden, Hazzard led a roster featuring players who would interact with future legends from programs such as Cincinnati and Providence. In the 1963–64 season he guided UCLA to the NCAA championship, defeating programs like Duke and Michigan en route to the title. He earned Consensus All-American honors alongside contemporaries such as Jerry Lucas, Billy Cunningham, Wes Unseld, and Cazzie Russell. Hazzard's college tenure intersected with the careers of coaches like Adolph Rupp, Phog Allen, and Dean Smith, and his performances were chronicled in outlets covering collegiate athletes such as the Helms Athletic Foundation and awards including the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame consideration that later embraced several of his peers. His leadership at UCLA preceded the arrival of Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and helped cement John Wooden's reputation in the Pac-8 Conference.

Professional basketball career

Selected in the first round of the 1964 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Hazzard's professional career included stints with franchises such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Seattle SuperSonics, San Diego Conquistadors, and the ABA's Washington Caps. As a point guard he played in the same era as Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, and Walt Frazier, competing in rivalries that included matchups with the Boston Celtics dynasty led by Bill Russell. Hazzard achieved solid scoring and assist numbers while navigating team relocations and league changes during the 1960s and 1970s, a period that also saw the rise of the American Basketball Association and personalities like Julius Erving. Injuries and roster moves affected his tenure with franchises such as the Seattle SuperSonics (an expansion team alongside the Phoenix Suns) and the San Diego Conquistadors coached by Kenny Webb and later associated with figures like Wilt Chamberlain who briefly played for San Diego. Hazzard retired from professional play in 1976 after more than a decade in the NBA and ABA.

Coaching and broadcasting career

After retiring he transitioned to coaching and broadcasting, becoming head coach at UCLA and later at UC Irvine where he faced conference rivals such as teams from the Big West Conference and programs like Long Beach State. His coaching career intersected with other collegiate coaches including Mike Montgomery, Jim Harrick, and Terry Holland. In broadcasting he became a familiar voice on Los Angeles Lakers telecasts alongside commentators who had ties to teams like Phoenix Suns and networks that covered NBA on NBC and regional sports networks; he worked with analysts who had backgrounds with the NBA and collegiate programs including UCLA Bruins and UConn. Hazzard's tenure in media kept him connected to players such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant and to the evolution of televised basketball through partnerships with outlets that also featured personalities from ESPN and CBS Sports.

Personal life and legacy

Hazzard converted to Islam during his adult life and adopted a name change that reflected his faith, affiliating with communities in the Los Angeles area and maintaining relationships with former teammates and coaches like John Wooden, Kenny Washington, and Fred Brown. He was married and had children who pursued careers in athletics, coaching, and education, interacting with regional institutions such as UCLA, USC, and local high school programs. Hazzard died in Los Angeles, California in 2011, and his legacy is preserved through commemorations by UCLA Bruins, tributes from the NBA community, and inclusion in discussions about the history of point guards alongside figures like Pete Maravich and Maurice Cheeks. His influence is noted in retrospectives that involve the NCAA Hall of Champions, alumni events hosted by UCLA Athletics, and oral histories featuring teammates from the 1964 championship team. Category:Basketball players from North Carolina