BIO: Devondrick Walker was born in Garland, Texas (USA) where he attended South Garland High School in Garland, Texas. There, he was a three-year letterwinner and during his senior year he averaged 10 points, four assists and four steals per game, earning him all-district honours.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Devondrick Walker made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 27 years of age. He scored 16 points in his first game.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
2019/20
South East Melbourne entered the NBL as its newest franchise under inaugural head coach Simon Mitchell, building its roster around marquee signing Mitch Creek. Ben Madgen (via Europe), Adam Gibson (via Brisbane), Kyle Adnam (via Sydney), John Roberson (via Russia), Tai Wesley (via New Zealand), Dane Pineau (via Sydney) and import centre Keith Benson were among the additions for the Phoenix’s first season.

South East Melbourne’s first-ever game came against cross-town rivals Melbourne United on October 3 in the inaugural Throwdown, where Creek (28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Roberson (20 points) led the Phoenix to a 91-88 victory, while Shawn Long (26 points, 13 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) was Melbourne’s best. South East Melbourne made 12 of 23 three-pointers, but the win came at a cost when Wesley (8 points) suffered a hamstring injury after playing only five minutes. Jaye Crockett was subsequently signed as his injury replacement, with the Phoenix defeating Brisbane and Illawarra to start 3-0 before suffering their first loss against Perth and eventually reaching the midpoint of the season at 6-6.

After Benson departed midway through the season, Devondrick Walker (via France) was signed on January 14 as his replacement for the remainder of the campaign. Walker had originally signed with Perth for the 2017/18 season before a foot injury prevented him from making his NBL debut, and had most recently played in France after spending four seasons in the NBA G-League, where he was named Most Improved Player in 2017. “I’m excited to join the Phoenix; it’s a new club with a healthy aspiration of getting to the top of the playoffs. Every game matters at this point so it’s an exciting time of year for the club, and I’m honoured to be a part of it,” Walker said.

Walker (7.4 points across 8 games) played in every remaining South East Melbourne game after joining the club, starting twice and not missing a game through injury or illness. Signed to provide additional perimeter shooting to a Phoenix team making a league-leading 38.5 percent of its three-pointers at the time, Walker struggled to find consistent range, making 10 of 38 three-point attempts during his eight-game stint.

Walker made his long-awaited NBL debut against the team he had originally signed with, Perth, on January 17, finishing with a team-high 16 points as Roberson (11 points and 6 assists) and Pineau (9 points and 8 rebounds) provided support. Bryce Cotton (25 points and 7 assists) led Perth to a 97-71 victory in front of 13,307 fans at RAC Arena, leaving South East Melbourne in serious danger of falling out of the finals race. “It seems a bit surreal after missing the opportunity to play for Perth a few seasons ago till now playing my first NBL game against Perth. We all know the NBL is a great environment, so I’m excited to see and enjoy the moment,” Walker said.

Walker’s best game of the season came against Brisbane on January 23, where he made 7 of 13 field-goal attempts and three three-pointers to finish with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Roberson (26 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Pineau (10 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks) provided support, while Lamar Patterson (27 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led Brisbane to a 108-101 victory.

South East Melbourne were led by Creek (20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals across 26 games) and Roberson (20.2 points and 5.6 assists across 28 games), while Madgen (12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds across 28 games), Wesley (10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds across 18 games), Adnam (9.1 points across 28 games) and Pineau (8.1 points and 8.7 rebounds across 28 games) provided the other major contributions. Despite leading the NBL in scoring at 95.4 points per game, the Phoenix won only three of their final 16 games, with Walker joining the team immediately before an eight-game losing streak to finish the season.

Walker finished his stint with 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist against Melbourne United on February 16 as Madgen (23 points and 4 rebounds) and Wesley (20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led South East Melbourne, while Chris Goulding (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) led United to a 109-90 victory, leaving the Phoenix second-last with a 9-19 record.

BRISBANE BULLETS
2022/23
After finishing eighth with a 10-18 record during James Duncan’s first season as coach, Brisbane moved on from Robert Franks (to Adelaide), Anthony Drmic (to Adelaide), Deng Deng (to Illawarra), and Chuanxing Liu (to the Bay Area Dragons), while Lamar Patterson, Isaiah Moss, Jack Salt, and Tom Digbeu were not retained. Aron Baynes (via Toronto), Tyler Johnson (via San Antonio), Devondrick Walker (via Rockingham), Harry Froling (via Illawarra), Gorjok Gak (via Nymburk), DJ Mitchell (via Gold Coast), and Kody Stattmann (via Virginia) joined returning players Nathan Sobey, Jason Cadee, Tyrell Harrison, and Tanner Krebs.

Walker signed a one-year deal on September 5 after leading the NBL1 West in scoring at 27 points per game, winning league MVP and Grand Final MVP, and helping Rockingham win the championship. The contract was not guaranteed for the entire NBL season, allowing Brisbane to retain flexibility with its second import position. “Devondrick’s past NBL experience is a key reason for adding him to our roster. He understands the league and his shooting will help space the floor for us to be more effective,” General Manager Sam Mackinnon said. Walker added, “I’m definitely excited for the opportunity. Looking forward to getting a fresh start with a hungry group of guys.”

The import strengthened his case during the preseason, scoring 18 and 17 points in consecutive victories over Melbourne before adding 16 points as Brisbane defeated Cairns 77-76 during the NBL Blitz.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Walker’s best game also came in his Brisbane debut at RAC Arena on October 2, where he made four three-pointers and finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Johnson (13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Baynes (11 points and 7 rebounds) provided support, but Cotton (23 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals) led Perth to an 87-73 victory.

Walker (9 points across 5 games) averaged 17 minutes while shooting 45 per cent from the field and 44 per cent from three-point range. However, he entered a crowded guard and wing rotation containing Sobey, Johnson, Cadee, Krebs, and Stattmann, with Brisbane losing each of its first five games.

Walker (10 points and 1 steal) made two three-pointers against Sydney at Nissan Arena on October 16, but Simon (23 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led the Kings to a 102-85 victory. Mitchell (20 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Baynes (15 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block) were Brisbane’s leading players as the Bullets fell to 0-4.

His final appearance came against South East Melbourne at the State Basketball Centre on October 22, where Walker (6 points) made both of his three-point attempts during 5:10 minutes. Cadee (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Johnson (15 points and 4 assists) led Brisbane, while Creek (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists) powered the Phoenix to an 89-88 victory and extended the Bullets’ losing streak to five games.

Walker was then left unused as Brisbane collected its first victory against Illawarra on October 24 and was omitted when the Bullets defeated the Hawks again three days later. Brisbane released him on November 4 with the team holding a 2-5 record, deciding he was not the roster fit it needed from its second import despite his efficient perimeter shooting. No Brisbane injury was announced as the reason for his limited season, with Walker missing 23 games in total—two while still contracted and the final 21 following his release. “The Bullets organisation would like to thank Devondrick for his time at the Club and wish him all the best for his future endeavours,” the club said.

The Brisbane Bullets have released Devondrick Walker from his contract for NBL23.

Lual Diing will be elevated from a development player to a rostered position. https://t.co/H1eLoRfOq1

— Brisbane Bullets (@BrisbaneBullets) November 5, 2022

Diing was immediately elevated from his development player position, before Andrew White (7.7 points and 3.1 rebounds across 15 games) signed for the remainder of the season on December 11 and filled the import position vacated by Walker. Diing was then returned to his development player contract.

Brisbane defeated Tasmania 74-72 in its first game after Walker’s release to complete a three-game winning streak, but the improvement did not continue. Duncan and Brisbane later mutually parted ways with the Bullets holding a 3-6 record, Mackinnon became interim coach, and assistant coach Greg Vanderjagt eventually took control for the remainder of the season.

Johnson (15.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) was named Members MVP and Players’ Player and finished runner-up for the NBL’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Sobey (15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists) received the Leroy Loggins Trophy as Brisbane’s Most Valuable Player, Baynes (11.7 points and 7.8 rebounds) was named Defensive Player of the Year, Cadee (11.5 points and 4.1 assists) received the St Genevieve Partners’ Choice Award, and Mitchell (9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds) was another major contributor.

Without Walker, Brisbane closed its season against New Zealand at Nissan Arena on February 4, where Baynes (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Johnson (15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) pushed the Breakers into overtime, but McDowell-White (15 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) helped New Zealand win 80-75 as Brisbane finished ninth with an 8-20 record.

Devondrick Walker played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assists in 13 NBL games.