History: Walton goes from Classic star to NBA champ, coach

There was a time when Luke Walton was showing off his basketball skills in front of fans at the City of Palms Classic, and coaching NBA superstars, like LeBron James, was only a dream. Walton, who is currently coach of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, played in the Classic in 1997 while a star with the University of San Diego High School. He went on to play college basketball at the University of Arizona and was a second-round draft pick (32nd overall) of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003. He played 10 seasons and won two NBA championships with the Lakers. Walton and his Hall of Fame father, Bill Walton, were the first father-son combination to win multiple NBA championships. Coaching followed as he was interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2014-15 and took the reins of the Lakers from 2016-2019. He had megastar James during the 2018-19 season, but after disappointing results he left the team and took over the Kings this season.