We Love Walter
The summer of 1996 ushered in a new wave of excitement for Knicks fans as the New York Knicks retooled their roster with a flurry of high-profile moves. The team welcomed Allan Houston, Larry Johnson, Chris Childs, and Buck Williams to the Big Apple, while also adding a trio of promising young rookies from what is often considered the greatest draft class in NBA history. Armed with the 18th, 19th, and 21st picks, the Knicks selected John Wallace, Walter McCarty, and Dontae’ Jones in the first round.
McCarty was selected with the 19th overall pick, right after the Knicks selected his good friend John Wallace with the 18th pick. Before Wallace and McCarty, paired up as rookie teammates, they shared a bond that dated all the way back to high school. “John and I were really cool.” McCarty reminisced, “We were really competitive. We were at the ABCD camp in Indianapolis, and John and I both made the All-Star game there as teammates. We were always very competitive, and that’s how we got to know each other.”
In April of 1996, a mere two months from becoming teammates, McCarty and his Kentucky Wildcats defeated Wallace’s Syracuse Orange for the 1996 NCAA Championship. Despite Wallace’s remarkable individual performance, amassing a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, McCarty, supported by a Kentucky roster brimming with multiple future NBA first-round selections, including Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, and Derek Anderson, were victorious over the Orange 76-67 to earn their first championship since 1978.
Set Number: X50506
With a loaded roster of future NBA stars, the Wildcats went into the game under a lot of public pressure due to their deep lineup. Knowing that Wallace was going to get his regardless of how they tried to slow him down, they developed a gameplan that shifted their focus on controlling the rest of the Syracuse Orange lineup.
“We were really familiar with them. We had played Syracuse my junior year in Kentucky, and in my sophomore year we went to the Dome in Syracuse.” McCarty recalled the Wildcats gameplan going into the game and how they were going to defend the Orange. “We knew that John was going to get his. He is one of those players where he is going to get his shots… you can’t stop green light players… our thing was to try and make it tough for him, but to limit everybody else on the team. We couldn’t let Cipolla or Sims have big nights. If John Wallace gets his, he gets his… but don’t let anybody else have a big night and that’s what we did.”
The game was filled with intense moments of battle, underscored by the mutual respect and shared competitiveness between John and Walter. “John loves to talk. John was always a wolf, but it was friendly competitive banter… We had battled from our sophomore year to our junior year to the Championship game.”
The added pressure of knowing they were both heading to the NBA as first-round picks only heightened the intensity of their friendly rivalry.
McCarty reflected on the 1996 Championship game as both a magical night and one where the Wildcats fell short of their usual standard. “We played our worst that game. Not to take anything away from Syracuse, but Syracuse played the zone and we didn’t play very well. It was probably one of our worst games of the season, but we were able to overcome and win the championship.”
With a shiny new championship ring on his finger, it was time for Walter to prep for the upcoming NBA draft. “I was slated to go anywhere from 11-21… I worked out for all the teams that went from the 7th pick up to the Knicks.” McCarty had been assured by the Knicks that they would select him if he was still available, but as draft night approached, he believed he was destined to join the Phoenix Suns. That expectation shifted abruptly when Kevin Johnson announced his plans for retirement, leading the Suns to draft future league MVP Steve Nash instead, which led McCarty to believe that he would end up in Portland.
“Sitting at the table with my agents David Falk and Michael Higgins, they were on the phone with Portland telling them not to take me.” Eager to just get drafted, McCarty advised his agents not to block Portland from drafting him, but his agents, understanding the business side of the sport, insisted otherwise. They knew that landing with a big-market team like the Knicks would significantly boost his chances of securing a larger Nike contract.
The Trail Blazers ultimately selected Jermaine O’Neal with the 17th pick. The Knicks followed by choosing John Wallace at 18th, and, as promised, selected McCarty 19th overall. “Getting to go to New York was one of my favorite moments… It was a great organization to play for, and both (John) and I were really excited.”
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Arriving in New York together, McCarty and Wallace had the chance to deepen their bond while being surrounded by superstar veterans like Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Larry Johnson. Each of these seasoned players looked out for the trio of rookies, planting seeds of wisdom that would help them build long careers and approach the game the right way.
It wasn’t just the superstars who looked out for the rookies though; the entire team was a tight-knit group, always having each other’s backs. McCarty remembered a moment when veteran point guard Scott Brooks went out of his way to support his personal development. “Before the games, we would be out there playing one-on-ones during the pre-game warm-ups, and he’d remind me that this is our game. We’re not playing tonight. We’re not going to get any minutes tonight. We gotta keep ourselves ready because you never know… we gotta work.”
After the dust of the excitement from the draft settled, McCarty and the Knicks traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, for his first NBA training camp. While many rookies might be overwhelmed or rendered starstruck by the prospect of sharing the court with illustrious icons like Ewing and Starks, such was not the situation for Walter. “Practices were so much fun because John and I were on the second team, and we tried to give Larry Johnson, Oakley, and Pat all they could handle.” McCarty said, “If you were to speak to any of them they would tell you that those young boys brought it to practice every day and made us better.”
With multiple All-Stars on the team, the young rookies knew their place, but they were also on a personal mission with a point to prove. “We used to make those veterans mad.” McCarty laughed, “Every time Patrick Ewing got the ball, I’d just go and trap him, and make him give it up… he hated it, hated it! ‘Stop doubling’ he’d yell… those practices were fun.”
The three rookies may have thought they had arrived, but they were quickly reminded of their place. Their first rule was to arrive at practice an hour early to complete their workouts and clear the way for the veterans. Their second reminder came on the first day of training camp in the form of a note in their lockers from Jeff Van Gundy, letting them know they wouldn’t see much playing time that season. He outlined three key actions for their development: “Listen and learn as much as possible, be patient, and work hard.”
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Rather than feeling discouraged, McCarty and his fellow rookies embraced the message as an opportunity to grow, improve, and make the most of their unique chance to contribute to a veteran team chasing a championship, and to this day McCarty continues to carry those three principles. “We could’ve easily been like damn, we’re not playing so we’re not going to work hard, but we didn’t. We worked hard, we listened well, I think I learned as much as I could from those guys and Jeff Van Gundy.”
Walter’s hard work did not go unnoticed. After training camp, Larry Johnson approached him and said, “I appreciate you, rook. You got me ready. I wanted to come into camp and relax, but with your energy and you coming to compete every day, you got me ready for the season.” Walter expressed his gratitude which he still holds dearly “Larry Johnson saying that to me was a huge compliment to my work ethic and to me trying to fight for minutes.”
Stay tuned for Part 2 in which Walter takes us back to making his Knicks debut, his rookie year, the legendary Knicks-Heat brawl, and so much more.