Mar 10, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker (34) gestures during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images John Hefti-Imagn Images

Former Colorado Men's Basketball Star Lands Contract With Philadelphia 76ers

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Jack Carlough | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 5:56 PM ET

Former Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball forward Jabari Walker is opening a new chapter in his young NBA career.

After three seasons playing for Colorado great Chauncey Billups and the Portland Trail Blazers, Walker is now headed to the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-way contract. The 76ers announced their signing of Walker on Saturday but didn't reveal the terms of the deal.

Walker spent two seasons with the Buffs (2020-22), averaging 11.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 59 games played. The son of former NBA forward Samaki Walker, Jabari played in the NCAA Tournament as a true freshman in 2020-21 before developing into one of the Pac-12's best players the following season. In 33 games as a sophomore, Walker led the Buffs in points (14.6) and rebounds (9.4) per game, solidifying himself as an NBA Draft prospect.

Walker was selected by the Trail Blazers as the No. 59 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. While he showed flashes of dominant play, the 6-foot-7 forward ultimately experienced an up-and-down three seasons in Portland. He averaged 3.9 points as a rookie and 8.9 points the following season but saw his playing time decrease in 2024-25, finishing the year with 5.2 points and 12.5 minutes per game. However, Walker shot a career-high 51.5 percent from the field for the 36-46 Blazers.

“He’s just so tough, so gritty,” Billups said of Walker this past season, per The Oregonian. “We need his toughness. He plays with an incredible amount of physicality on both ends of the floor.”

Walker now joins a 76ers squad coming off a difficult 2024-25 season plagued by injuries and inconsistent play. It'll take plenty of work for Walker to make Philadelphia's NBA roster and earn regular minutes, but his rebounding abilities and recent offensive growth make him an intriguing player to watch.

Ahead of the 2022 draft, Colorado coach Tad Boyle shared his thoughts on Walker's NBA future during an interview with CU Sports Report.

"The one thing about Jabari’s standpoint that I would say, the one stat that usually translates well from college basketball to NBA basketball is rebounding," Boyle told CU Sports Report in 2022. "Obviously, he led the Pac-12 in rebounding and really is an elite-level defensive rebounder. That translates, so that’s a good thing. Obviously, he didn’t shoot the ball well early this year but he really shot it well late. He shot it well his freshman year, so he is a capable shooter."

Walker is one of four players from Colorado's 2021-22 squad now in the NBA, joining Tristan da Silva (Orlando Magic), KJ Simpson (Charlotte Hornets) and Nique Clifford (Sacramento Kings). Clifford spent his final two college seasons at Colorado State before hearing his name called in the first round of last month's NBA Draft.

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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