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Rex Walters

From Alfawiki
Rex Walters
Born
Rex Andrew Walters Sr.

(1970-03-12) March 12, 1970 (age 56)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Occupation(s)Basketball coach, former professional basketball player
Years active1988–present
Known forNBA player; head coach at University of San Francisco and Florida Atlantic University; assistant coach in NBA

Rex Andrew Walters Sr. (born March 12, 1970) is a former professional basketball player and current coach from the United States, most recently serving as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Prior to this, he held the position of associate head coach at Wake Forest University under the leadership of Danny Manning and worked on the coaching staff at Nevada alongside Eric Musselman. Walters has also been the head coach for the Grand Rapids Drive (NBA G-League), as well as leading programs at the University of San Francisco and Florida Atlantic University.

His coaching philosophy was heavily influenced by renowned figures he encountered during his playing days, including legendary coaches such as Roy Williams at the University of Kansas, and NBA icons like Chuck Daly, Larry Brown, and Pat Riley. Walters played collegiate basketball initially at Northwestern before transferring to Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1993. His professional playing career spanned ten years, featuring seven seasons in the NBA from 1993 through 2000. Additionally, he hosts the podcast Real Talk Basketball with Rex Walters.

Biography

Born in Omaha, Nebraska on March 12, 1970, Walters competed in high school basketball at Piedmont Hills High School before graduating from Independence High School in San Jose, California. Of mixed heritage, with a Japanese mother and a white father, Walters identifies as Japanese-American and takes pride in his cultural background. He has acknowledged his pioneering role for Asian Americans in basketball alongside notable players such as Jeremy Lin. Renowned for his dedication and leadership qualities, Walters' daughter Addison is currently employed by the Minnesota Timberwolves as a Video Associate.

Northwestern

Between 1988 and 1990, Walters competed at Northwestern University, where he received All Big Ten honorable mention honors while leading his team in scoring.

Kansas

From 1990 to 1993, after transferring to Kansas, Walters started in 68 games under coach Roy Williams. He averaged 15.6 points per game and was the team’s leading scorer throughout both seasons. During his tenure, Kansas achieved a combined record of 56–12, secured consecutive Big Eight championships, and advanced to the 1993 Final Four. Walters earned All-Big Eight recognition twice and was honored as the Big Eight Male Athlete of the Year in 1993. He maintained impressive shooting percentages: nearly 51% from the field, 42% from beyond the arc, and 85% from free throws. Standing at 6'4", he played as a shooting guard and was selected 16th overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 1993 NBA draft.

Professional Playing Career

Walters enjoyed a decade-long professional basketball career, spending seven seasons in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets (1993–95), Philadelphia 76ers (1995–98), and Miami Heat (1998–2000). Beyond the NBA, he competed internationally and in other leagues, including stints with Baloncesto León (2000), the Kansas City Knights (2000–01; 2002–03), and CB Gran Canaria (2001–02).

Selected as the 16th pick in the 1993 NBA draft by the Nets, Walters led his team in shooting efficiency (.522) during his rookie season and enhanced both his playing time and statistics in the following year. After being traded to Philadelphia in the 1995–96 season, he started eight games and was the team's top three-point shooter (.385) in 1996–97, averaging 6.8 points per outing. Following his release in January 1998, Walters signed with Miami, appearing in 33 games (starting 13) during the 1998–99 season with an average of 3.1 points per game. After his NBA tenure, he continued playing professionally in Spain for León and Gran Canaria. Additionally, Walters had a minor acting role in the 1994 movie Blue Chips.

Coaching Career

  • Between 2003 and 2005, he was an Assistant Coach at Valparaiso University, where he played a key role in securing the Mid Continent Conference Regular Season and Tournament titles in 2004, leading to an NCAA tournament berth. In 2005, The Hoop Scoop online ranked him as the nation’s 20th best mid-major assistant coach.
  • On April 15, 2008, he was appointed Head Coach at the University of San Francisco, succeeding Eddie Sutton, a role he maintained until 2016.
  • During the 2016–2017 season, Walters led the Grand Rapids Drive as Head Coach, focusing on player development; two players under his guidance—Jordan Crawford and Ray McCallum—were called up to join the Detroit Pistons.
  • In the following season (2017–2018), he worked as an Assistant Coach for the Detroit Pistons under Stan Van Gundy. That year, the Pistons achieved a ranking of tenth in NBA defensive rating.
  • For the 2018–2019 season, Walters acted as Special Assistant to Head Coach Eric Musselman at Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball, contributing to winning the Mountain West Conference Championship and securing a #7 seed in the NCAA tournament.
  • He served as Associate Head Coach at Wake Forest under Danny Manning during the 2019–2020 season.
  • From 2022 through 2024, he held an Assistant Coaching position with the Charlotte Hornets.
  • Beginning in 2025, Walters assumed the role of Head Coach at Regis University located in Colorado.

Regular Season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New Jersey | 48 || 0 || 8.0 || .522 || .500 || .824 || .8 || 1.5 || .3 || .1 || 3.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New Jersey | 80 || 30 || 17.9 || .439 || .362 || .769 || 1.2 || 1.5 || .5 || .2 || 6.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"|New Jersey | 11 || 0 || 7.9 || .364 || .250 || 1.000 || .6 || 1.0 || .3 || .0 || 3.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 33 || 8 || 15.8 || .426 || .352 || .783 || 1.8 || 1.9 || .5 || .1 || 4.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 59 || 16 || 17.6 || .455 || .385 || .790 || 1.8 || 1.9 || .5 || .1 || 6.8 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 19 || 0 || 6.7 || .379 || .214 || 1.000 || .5 || 1.1 || .3 || .0 || 2.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Miami | 19 || 0 || 5.7 || .542 || .375 || .818 || .8 || .7 || .2 || .1||2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Miami |33||13||15.3||.368||.316||.826||1.5||1.8||.3||.1||3.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Miami |33||0||11.8||.418||.250||.750||1.1||2.0||.2||.0||2.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |335||67||13.7||.441||.361||.809||1.2||1.7||.4||.1||4.6

Playoff Appearances

1994 New Jersey
Career Totals
Games Played 4
Games Started 0
Average Minutes 3.5
Field Goal Percentage .250
Three-Point Percentage .000
Free Throw Percentage —
Rebounds 0
Assists 1
Steals 0
Blocks 0
Turnovers 0

External Links

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