Where Are They Now: Willie Naulls, Campy Russell and Kenny Walker

Willie Naulls (center) at the February 24 Hardwood Classics Night. MSG Photos

NEW YORK, March 28, 2005 -- Willie Naulls (a New York Knick 1956-63), Campy Russell (1980-84), Kenny Walker (1986-91): three Knick forwards, three different Knick eras. Talking to this trio of fascinating gentlemen is truly a walk through Knicks history.

"I was not only the first African-American Knicks captain, I was the first African- American captain ever in any professional team sport," Naulls recalls proudly. "It was like a dream, an amazing journey for a scared (at first) kid from the streets of Watts. I've been in New York just once before -- when I was playing college ball for UCLA -- when I was traded to the Knicks. I was mesmerized, excited and challenged by the big city. I soon learned though that as long as you're doing your level best, the people here -- whether they are your teammates or the fans -- will respect you. Fortunately, that is exactly how my Mom raised me, to make sure that always do my best. So New York and I, we turned out to be an ideal marriage."

On and off the floor: the gloriously gifted Naulls -- a 6-6 compulsive scorer who could sky with the best of them -- averaged a rare double double (19.3 ppg, 10. 7 rpg) in his seven Knick seasons, making the NBA All Star squad four times. "After I was traded to Boston, I also won two NBA Championships with the Celtics," says Naulls. So why isn't Willie Naulls, obviously an excellent player who also held such a historic captaincy, in the Basketball Hall of Fame? Naulls just shakes his head, clearly pained and mystified about that issue himself.

"I am gratified to see African Americans so prominent in the NBA," says Naulls. "Ironically, it was the demand for excellence -- the fans pay their money so they want to see the best -- that stopped discrimination. And now the NBA is open to the world. How great is that?"

"I will always love New York," Naulls adds with a warm smile. "I will never forget, and I will always appreciate, how the fans accepted and made comfortable that young naïve kid from Watts."

"Man, we had some fun when I came to the Knicks," remembers the still-lanky Russell who looks about his playing weight twenty years later. "Micheal Ray (Richardson), Ray Williams, Sly Williams, Marvin Webster, that was one eclectic group. Some of those guys were a little wild and wooly back in those days but we played with all the enthusiasm in the world night in and night out. I was already 30 (actually 28) years old when I came here so, in addition to my contributions on the floor -- I averaged 16.4 points per game my first season -- I felt that I was brought here to provide some off-the-floor stability for all the young guys as well. I don't really know whether I've succeeded in doing that -- Marvin who was more my age was my best friend on the team -- but we did go 50-32. And we all got along real well."

"Another real gratifying thing for me was being able to play for (Coach) Red Holzman," says Russell. "I was a real student of the game and he was a born teacher -- so we meshed superbly. Still, the one characteristic of his I remember the most was that even with all that knowledge -- and even after all the meetings, individual coaching, and strategic sessions were done -- once the ball went up into the air he allowed you to just play your game. To me, that's what the best coaching is about, playing into your talent's strengths. Red was an absolute master at that."

"With the passing of the years, you tend to forget a little just how tough -- and, at the same time, how great -- it is to play in New York," smiles Walker. "The fans are so wildly enthusiastic, so married to the Knicks fortunes, and so knowledgeable, the demand for excellence is uniquely high. Plus, The Big Apple is the media capital of the world, with the five major daily papers making things completely different for players than the situation might be literally anywhere else. What it all comes down to is, I suppose, that the demands are great -- and, if you win, the rewards are even greater."

Walker, who does radio commentary for Kentucky basketball and is a regular contributor on ESPN 2, has strong opinions about the current state of the NBA and the game of hoops in general. "I enjoy it just as much as I always have -- but you have to understand that it's a completely different ballgame now," he says. "With the growth of early entry, the NBA is presently a game of youth. These kids are tremendously gifted athletically but, with a few exceptions such as LeBron James, from the standpoint of fundamentals, chemistry, off-the-ball skills, and teamwork, the game was better ten-fifteen years ago. So I feel that Commissioner David Stern is absolutely correct when he wants to institute an age limitation on NBA entry. Such a rule is becoming increasingly necessary to preserve the integrity of the game. The fans pay to see the best -- so they deserve to see the very best brand of ball."

"I even have an answer -- really, a solution -- to the chief quandary, to those who say 'Sure, but then what about Carmelo (Anthony) and LeBron (James)?'" adds Walker. "There should be a five-to-ten person committee formed from the very best minds in the game, people whose knowledge and integrity everyone respects: Jerry West, Red Auerbach, and a few others of equal caliber. And that committee should decide who the one or two exceptions to the age rule might be year after year. That way the NBA would be the best of both worlds: the Lebron-s and the Kobe Bryant-s would be allowed to enter the league early, and the vast majority of 17-18 year old kids -- the ones that really have no business to be in the NBA until they mature as people and players, the ones who would be helped by a year or two in college -- would have to wait until the age of 20."

"I love the game. And this change, in my opinion, would do a world of good for the game."