Celtics: Pitino connection helped secure max contract for Antoine Walker

Antoine Walker once had the most lucrative deal in Celtics history

In 1999, Antoine Walker secured a massive contract extension with the Boston Celtics which kept him in Boston for six more years and paid him $71 million. At the time, it was the most lucrative player extension in Celtics history.

This extension, in retrospect, didn’t exactly move mountains for the Celtics in the early 2000s. Walker was unable to become the main foundational piece the Celtics envisioned him as, with Paul Pierce leading the team in win shares throughout most of his seasons in Boston rather than Walker.

During Walker’s first stint with Boston which lasted seven seasons, the Celtics made the playoffs just two times, making it as far as the Eastern Conference Finals.

Ultimately, you’d probably grade the extension as a fail for Celtics management, but an obvious win for Walker. You really can’t discredit Walker for taking the money that was available to him.

Walker was a great player, he just didn’t quite play up to the contract, given that it was a behemoth. In Boston, he averaged 20.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.

Recently joining the Knuckleheads podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, Walker spoke on plenty of Celtics topics, including his contract extension in 1999.

Antoine Walker speaks on his massive contract with Boston Celtics

Speaking to the Knuckleheads podcast, Walker spoke to the major contract he got while with the Boston Celtics. It also speaks to why being both the general manager and coach can be a tricky road to navigate.

Walker detailed the fact that the person who gave him his max contract, Rick Pitino, also happened to be his college coach while at Kentucky. Not only were his financials in part guaranteed by his relationship with Pitino, but also the way the team was run.

"“The offense was ran through me, everything was ran through me, it was beautiful. And then to follow it up even better, [Pitino was] the GM and the head coach, the next year he gave me my max contract. I ain’t have to do no negotiating, no debating.”"

Perhaps Pitino was more willing to give Walker a few extra million dollars on his contract because of their relationship, but Walker at the time was worth the money. He wasn’t handed a contract just on the basis of his relationship with Pitino.

In fact, it’s probably true that this quote from Walker in a recent HoopsHype interview is true from Walker:

"“Oh, without question! I probably would’ve made $300 million in today’s NBA, if I could’ve played in this day and age! But I think it shows the skill level of big men. We’re seeing that big guys can do some of the things that small guys can do. It was a tough time for me when I was doing it; I used to get ripped for shooting so many threes.”"

Walker’s range-inclined offensive skillset would have meshed perfectly with what teams today are trying to do. He spaced the floor well and allowed for interior room to be available for the big men and rim-runners.

In Boston, he attempted 5.1 3-pointers per game throughout his career. In his final full season with the team his 3-point volume was significant. Walker led the NBA in 3-pointers attempted (582) in 2003 ahead of Ray Allen (533), Allan Houston (450), and Tracy McGrady (448).