Walker takes next step

July 9, 2017 at 12:09a.m.

While Markelle Fultz, De’Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball put on NBA uniforms for the first time, Howland native David Walker also is making his own debut in the nation’s top basketball league.

Walker made it through the three-round process to become a candidate for an NBA officiating gig.

He’s currently officiating NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas until he has to report to the NBA Gatorade League — formerly known as the D-League — in the fall.

Being in the G-League puts him in the pool of candidates to get called up to the big leagues within a few years.

Walker, 25, is a student at God’s Bible School and College in Cincinnati. His father, David Sr. was a standout player at Howland and also worked as a coach and basketball scout.

The NBA’s website does not list which games Walker has worked in the Summer League. Becoming an NBA officiating candidate is a three-part process that started in April and ended this month. It’s a three-camp tryout that whittles down 100 candidates to the finalists.

Walker has worked 500 to 600 high school and college games a year before being selected for the G-League.