Basketball legend Bellamy retired to life of activism

Basketball legend Walt Bellamy made the most of his time during a standout NBA career.

It’s only fitting the Hall of Fame center and former Atlanta Hawk continues to do likewise in his busy life after basketball.

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Walt Bellamy, akaa ‘Bell’ played his final three seasons of his 13-year career for the Hawks. He’s one of just seven players to score more than 20,000 points and grab more than 14,000 rebounds.

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The gentle 6-foot-11 giant who once routinely battled the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell continues to fight these days, only now as a tireless activist, business leader and family man.

Bellamy said he’d have it no other way.

“It’s especially rewarding because of the experiences you find yourself in,” the 32-year College Park resident said.

“More specifically, [serving the community] puts you in a position of networking and serving. I’m glad to do that because the public certainly did elevate me and other athletes.”

Bellamy has become a pillar of service for his efforts in making life better for those around him.

Active with the NAACP since his playing days, he joined the Rev. Al Sharpton as among the four people recognized by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives for their 2008 Civil Rights Award.

The Greensboro Four, the former college students whose sit-ins at a string of Greensboro, N.C. lunch counters in 1960 helped spark the civil rights movement, have also recognized him for his contributions to civil rights.

Bellamy, 68, was a delegate for Walter Mondale and Jesse Jackson, respectively, at the 1984 and 1988 Democratic conventions. His many current endeavors include serving on the executive committee of the Atlanta branch of the NAACP and as the vice-chairman of College Park’s Business and Industrial Development Authority board.

“I always want to be active doing something,” he said. “We have a duty to lift up our voice and make our community better, make our nation better.”

Soon after his retirement from the NBA in 1975, “Bells”, as he was known during his playing days, landed a job organizing for the Teamsters Union.

He later became the first African-American named as the sergeant-at-arms for state General Assembly after being appointed to the position by then-Lt. Gov. Zell Miller in 1977.

Bellamy, a four-time All-Star and 1993 Hall of Fame inductee, attributed his strong sense of community activism to his upbringing in New Bern, N.C. Both his father and grandfather were Masons, while his older brother was an early activist in the fight against segregation.

Bellamy began working with the NAACP, SCLC and the Easter Seals while still playing, and has only continued in that role.

Dave Bing, a fellow NBA Hall of Famer, said he expected as much from his close friend of more than 40 years and former Detroit Pistons teammate.

“He was one of those guys who was thought-provoking even as a young player,” said Bing, a current Detroit mayoral candidate.

“Walt was always an intelligent guy who was very well-spoken and up on all the current issues.”

Bellamy always makes time, however, for his wife, Helen, their two grown children and two teen-aged grandsons, all of whom live in the Atlanta area.

“It’s always exciting and it’s always rewarding,” he said of his community involvement. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

Bellamy was equally as productive during a brilliant 14-year playing career that began after now-defunct Chicago Packers made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 1961 NBA Draft.

He averaged 31.6 points and 19 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the floor en route to 1962 Rookie of the Year honors.

Bellamy averaged 20.1 points and 13.7 boards for his career. He’s one of just seven players to ever score more than 20,000 points for his career and grab more than 14,000 rebounds, putting him in elite company with the likes of Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Moses Malone and Karl Malone.

Bellamy was the epitome of durability over his career, playing in 1,043 of 1,055 (98 percent) games.

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