Walter Davis Dies at 69; UNC Legend Won 1977-78 NBA ROY Award

Former NBA player and North Carolina Tar Heels star Walter Davis died Thursday at the age of 69.

North Carolina's men's basketball program announced he died "of natural causes while visiting family."

Davis, who is the uncle of current North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, played for the Tar Heels for four seasons from 1973-74 through 1976-77. His resume included an All-ACC First Team selection and an All-ACC Second Team selection, and he helped lead North Carolina to the national championship game in his final season.

He was recognized as a member of the 1977 NCAA All-Tournament team as a result.

The program's announcement highlighted his famous buzzer-beater against Duke that sent an eventual Tar Heels victory into overtime when he was a freshman, calling it "one of the most iconic moments in college basketball" that "cemented his place in Carolina basketball history."

Davis is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and also won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 1976 basketball team.

Following his legendary collegiate career, Davis was selected as the No. 5 overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft. He played for the Phoenix Suns for the first 11 seasons of his career before suiting up for the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers during the final four.

Davis was the NBA's 1977-78 Rookie of the Year behind per-game averages of 24.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals. He also made his first of six All-Star teams that season and was a member of the All-NBA Second Team.

He then made the All-NBA Second Team again in his second season.

Nobody in Suns history has scored more than his 15,666 career points, and the team retired his No. 6 jersey.