Walter Berry

Walter Berry is an American former professional basketball player. After spending three seasons in the National Basketball Association with San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Houston Rockets, he had a successful career in various European leagues and the EuroLeague.

He played the power forward position and was nicknamed "The Truth." Berry was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2022.

Player Profile

Walter Berry was born on May 14, 1964, in New York City, New York, USA. He stood 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 215 pounds during his playing days.

High School and College Career

Berry attended Benjamin Franklin High School in New York City. He played college basketball at San Jacinto College from 1983 to 1984 and St. John’s University from 1984 to 1986.

He was a consensus First-Team All-American and won multiple national player of the year awards in 1986, including the John R. Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, NABC Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, UPI Player of the Year, Adolph Rupp Trophy, and Sporting News Player of the Year. He was also the Big East Player of the Year in 1986.

Professional Career

Berry was selected in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft as the 14th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was soon traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he played from 1986 to 1988. He then joined the New Jersey Nets for the 1988 to 1989 season and finished his NBA tenure with the Houston Rockets in 1989.

After leaving the NBA, Berry established himself as a top player in Europe.

He played for Basket Napoli in Italy during the 1989 to 1990 season, then for Atlético Madrid Villalba in Spain from 1990 to 1991. In 1991, he joined Aris in Greece, followed by another stint with Basket Napoli in 1992. Berry then played for Olympiacos in Greece during the 1992 to 1993 season, PAOK in 1993 to 1994, and Iraklis in 1994 to 1995.

He returned to Olympiacos for the 1995 to 1996 season and had a second stint with Aris in 1997.

Berry continued his international career with Polti Cantù in Italy for the 1997 to 1998 season, PAOK in Greece for 1998 to 1999, and Union Olimpija in Slovenia for the 1999 to 2000 season. He also played for Makedonikos in Greece in 2000, Aurora Basket Jesi in Italy from 2000 to 2001, and Panteras de Miranda in Venezuela from 2001 to 2002.

Throughout his career, Berry collected numerous honors. He was the FIBA Saporta Cup Top Scorer in 1995 and won the FIBA Korać Cup championship in 1994. In 1991, he was the Liga ACB Top Scorer in Spain. Berry won the Greek League championship twice, in 1993 and 1996, and was named Greek League Top Scorer in 1995.

He also captured the Greek Cup in 1999 and was named Greek Cup Finals MVP that same year. In recognition of his impact on Greek basketball, Berry was inducted into the Greek League Hall of Fame in 2022.

Career Highlights

• 1986 – John R. Wooden Award
• 1986 – Oscar Robertson Trophy
• 1986 – NABC Player of the Year
• 1986 – AP Player of the Year
• 1986 – UPI Player of the Year
• 1986 – Adolph Rupp Trophy
• 1986 – Sporting News Player of the Year
• 1986 – Consensus first-team All-American
• 1986 – Big East Player of the Year
• 1986 – First-team All-Big East
• 1985 – Second-team All-Big East
• 1991 – Liga ACB Top Scorer
• 1993, 1996 – Greek League champion
• 1994 – FIBA Korać Cup champion
• 1994 – Greek Cup winner
• 1995 – FIBA Saporta Cup Top Scorer
• 1995 – Greek League Top Scorer
• 1999 – Greek Cup Finals MVP
• 1999 – Greek Cup winner
• 2022 – Greek League Hall of Fame

Medal Record, Representing the United States of America

• 1983 – Gold – FIBA U19 World Cup (Palma de Mallorca)