Who was Heather Walker? Tributes pour in as beloved Boston Celtics Executive dies aged 52

Heather Walker, a long-time employee of the Boston Celtics, tragically passed away at the age of 52. The Celtics executive lost her battle with brain cancer, something she was fighting against for two years.

The Celtics lost one of their most loyal employees as Walker worked for the organization since the start of the 2006-07 season. She was the team's Vice President of Public Relations.

Walker's story came to an unfortunate end and has affected many people in her life. Not only was she an important part of the NBA team, but Heather Walker was also a good friend who's touched the lives of many people.

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Heather Walker was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer

Back in July 2021, the Boston Celtics executive was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. It is a fast-growing brain tumor that gives patients a life expectancy of around 16 months.

She was treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, where she also started her own fund for Glioblastoma Research.

Walker was with the Celtics for almost 17 years and she did a great job. Due to this, it's no surprise that the NBA team posted a heartwarming tribute to her. The Celtics also changed their profile picture with Heather Walker's initials.

Move4Heather, a Facebook page that sponsored Walker's fund, also shared a heartbreaking post regarding her tragedy.

Marcus Smart, a Celtics guard, had nothing but wonderful words for Heather.

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Smart praised Walker's professional skills and offered condolences to her family.

Jayson Tatum also shared his thoughts regarding Heather Walker. Like Smart, Tatum also praised her and said that she made his life very easy.

The Miami Heat, despite being one of the Celtics' biggest rivals in the East, tweeted about the tragedy.

Many social users who personally knew the Celtics executive also talked positively about her.

Many Celtics fans wanted their team to beat the Atlanta Hawks in honor of Walker's memory. The Celtics, who wore Heather Walker warmup shirts before the game, ended up beating the Hawks and advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Some have pointed out that anyone can donate to fund the research started by the late Celtics executive.

Before her career with the Celtics, Walker worked as the Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Events for The Rack. She performed this role for 10 years, right before she joined the NBA team.

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Walker attended Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts, where she took classes in criminology. She later enrolled in the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.