At UCLA, Walton helped lead the Bruins to the 1972 and 1973 National Championships, under the tutelage of legendary head coach John Wooden. Walton was a three-time Naismith Player of the Year at UCLA (1972-1974), and his #32 was retired by UCLA in 1990, two years after his NBA career ended.
Walton had been battling prostate cancer for the past few years, is survived by wife Lori, and sons Luke, Nathan, Chris, and Adam. Luke, Chris, and Adam all played basketball collegiately, and Luke is currently an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Walton led the freshman UCLA squad to a 20-0 record in 1970-71, while college basketball was still in the era that freshmen could not play on the varsity team. This is what held Pete Maravich from putting the NCAA career scoring record so far out of reach that no one would finish within 1,000 points. His sophomore and junior seasons saw UCLA go undefeated, while winning their sixth and seventh consecutive National Championships respectively.
Walton was named Most Outstanding Player of both the 1972 and 1973 NCAA Tournament, averaging a double-double, and earning unanimous All-American honors both seasons. It was during his senior season at Berkeley that UCLA saw their record 88-game winning streak snapped by Notre Dame, where Walton played with a brace on his back, after breaking two bones in his spine in a fall the week before against Washington State. UCLA lost 80-77 in double overtime in the 1974 Final Four to North Carolina State, in what is still heralded as one of the 20 greatest college basketball games ever played.
With no further eligibility, Walton was instantly the top overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Walton had also received offers from the ABA’s Dallas Chaparrals and San Diego Conquistadors, but ultimately signed with Portland. His first two years saw limited action, as his chronic foot injuries began to appear, something that would cut his career much shorter than anticipated. Walton played just 35 games in his rookie season, and 51 in his sophomore season with the Blazers.
Then came the 1976-77 season, where everything came together.
Walton averaged 18.6 points, 14.4 rebounds (a career high), and 34.8 minutes (also a career high) over 65 games. Portland finished with a 49-33 record, qualifying third in the Western Conference for the NBA Playoffs. Portland took down Chicago in three games in the first round, Denver in six in the second round, and swept the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals in their first ever playoff appearance.
After the Lakers posted an NBA-best 53 wins in the regular season, only to be swept by the upstart Blazers, the Philadelphia 76ers were waiting as champions of the Eastern Conference, posting 50 wins themselves. After the 76ers took the first two in Philadelphia, the Blazers claimed the next four to win their only NBA title to date.
The following season saw Walton capture the league MVP, but Portland lost in the second round to Seattle, ending their championship reign.
Walton moved on from Portland after the 1978 playoffs, signing with the San Diego Clippers. His three years playing for his hometown team were marred with injuries, playing in just 102 games, including missing the entire 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons rehabbing from reconstructive surgery on his left foot. The Clippers did not make the playoffs in any of Walton’s five seasons.
Walton was traded to the Boston Celtics to come off the bench at the start of the 1984-85 season. Walton played 80 games in the 1985-86 season, winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. The Celtics finished the season with a 67-15 record, finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference, and stormed to a 15-3 record and their 16th NBA Championship.
There are many, myself included, who view the 1986 Celtics as the greatest NBA team ever assembled. Four of the five starters (Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, Dennis Johnson, and Kevin McHale) are in the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with the head coach (K.C. Jones), sixth man (Walton), and owner (Red Auerbach). The fifth starter, Danny Ainge, is likely to get into the Hall of Fame as an executive in the coming years.
Walton joined CBS as an analyst in 1990, where he would begin a broadcasting career that saw him work at NBC, ESPN/ABC, the Sacramento Kings, the Clippers, and the Pac-12 Network. Walton won the 1991 Emmy Award for Best Live Sports Television Broadcast as part of CBS’ coverage of March Madness. This was made even more special for Walton having a distinct stutter during his playing days, and many years of coaching with broadcaster Marty Glickman.
Walton was named to the inaugural UCLA Hall of Fame in 1984, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, the inaugural College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. His jersey would also be retired by the Blazers in 1989.
My mother loved Bill Walton because of his fandom towards the Grateful Dead. Please keep in mind that I absolutely hate the Grateful Dead. Walton was the “World’s Tallest Deadhead,” which many fans recognized him for later in life, due to his regular appearances at their concerts.
Next to Ken Stabler, Bill Walton was my father’s favorite athlete of all time. When I broke the news to him on Sunday afternoon, I could hear the oxygen being sucked out of the room through the phone. As a UCLA and Celtics fan growing up, I would always hear stories of how great Walton was, but only truly got to see him play on television during that 1986 run with Boston.
Whether he was being parodied by Frank Caliendo, or on Saturday Night Live, Walton’s tangents were the stuff of legend for broadcasters and comedians alike. His positive attitude became infectious in any setting. No one had anything negative after being around Walton for just 30 seconds, whether it was passing by on the street, or watching a broadcast he was on commentary for.
The ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary about Walton was titled “The Luckiest Guy In The World.”
No “Big Red,” it was us who were lucky to have known your greatness both on and off the hardwood, and “Shine on” because of it.
-JC24