Walter "Truth" Berry
Born: May 14, 1964
Position: Power Forward
Height: 6-8 (2.04 m)
Jerseys worn: #6 (Houston)
In the NBA:
Nickname: "The Truth"
His Game:
Walter Berry was a productive scorer with a unique style of playing, which made him fun to watch. Despite being an above average rebounder and (when he wanted to) defender, he wasn't tough enough for the NBA. He played at both forward positions there, and was used mostly as a F/C in Europe.
His Career:
He was 14th in the 1986 NBA Draft, selected by Portland but traded to San Antonio. In 1987-'87, he averaged 15.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists for San Antonio, as a rookie. The next year was his best in the NBA, with 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 26 minutes (73 games), shooting 56% in field goals. The Spurs made it to the playoffs, where they were swept in the first round. Berry's numbers in just 3 games were impressive though: 22 points and 7 rebounds! In 1988-'89, his last season in the NBA, he played for New Jersey and Houston. His minutes were limited and he averaged 8.8 points and 3.9 rebounds.
Statistics:
| YEAR |
Team |
Games |
Pts |
FT % |
FG % |
3PM |
3-pt % |
Reb |
Trn |
Ast |
St |
Blk |
Min |
Star? |
| 1987 |
Portland / San Antonio |
63 |
15.9 |
.649 |
.531 |
0 |
.000 |
4.9 |
2.4 |
1.7 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
25.2 |
YES |
| 1988 |
San Antonio |
73 |
17.4 |
.600 |
.563 |
0 |
.000 |
5.4 |
2.2 |
1.5 |
0.8 |
0.9 |
26.3 |
YES |
| 1989 |
New Jersey / Houston |
69 |
8.8 |
.699 |
.507 |
1 |
.500 |
3.9 |
1.3 |
1.1 |
0.4 |
0.7 |
19.6 |
No |
| Career |
Career |
205 |
14.1 |
.638 |
.539 |
1 |
.200 |
4.7 |
2.0 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
0.7 |
23.7 |
No |
In Europe:
In Greece:
Berry played for Olympiakos in 1992-'93 and the team won its first Greek Championship of the 90's. In 1993-'94 he was a member of the PAOK team, that won the Korac Cup. 1994-'95 was his best season individually as he led the Greek League in scoring and rebounding and was the undeniable MVP of the season. He also led his team, Iraklis, to climb to the 3rd spot in the Greek Championship, a huge improvement compared to Iraklis' previous seasons.
He returned to Olympiakos for the 1995-'96 season but got ill and missed a big part of it. However, he returned, half-healthy, for the playoffs and helped Olympiakos win another Championship. He played for Aris in the 1996-'97 season and returned to PAOK in 1998-'99, had a very good season and PAOK won the Greek Cup.
He started playing for Makedonikos in 1999-'00 but was released after only 2 games.
In Italy:
In 1989-'90 he played for Paini Napoli. In 33 games he put some impressive numbers: 29.6 points and 11.5 rebounds, shooting 55% from the field. He played again for (Depi) Napoli in 1991-'92 and was just as good (28.9 ppg and 11.2 rpg).
In 1997-'98 he played for Politi Cantu and averaged another double-double (20 and 10), shooting 59% in field goals. His final season in Italy was 2000-'01, in Sicc Jesi, when he had 19.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest, shooting 60% from the field.
In Spain:
Berry played for Spanish team Atletico de Madrid, in 1990-'91. He established a new ACB League-High in most points scored in a game, after scoring 52, making 24 of his field-goal attempts.