Famed NBA star had battled cancer
Hall of Famer Bill Walton, college basketball's Player of the Year in all three of his varsity seasons at UCLA when he led the Bruins to two NCAA championships, died on Monday at his home in San Diego, the NBA announced. He was 71.
During an injury-plagued NBA career, Walton also was a member of two championship teams, the MVP of the 1977 finals and 1977-78 season.
Walton's Bruin teams won their first 73 games, as UCLA extended its winning streak to 88 games, the NCAA men's basketball record. During his three varsity seasons – freshman were ineligible to play on the varsity level when Walton entered UCLA in 1970 – the Bruins went 49-0 in Pauley Pavilion, as part of a 98-game home winning streak that spanned the 1970-71 through 1975-76 seasons.
In the 1973 championship game against Memphis State, Walton made 21 of 22 shots for 44 points, a championship game record, as UCLA won its seventh consecutive championship and ninth in 10 seasons.
“It's very hard to put into words what he has meant to UCLA's program, as well as his tremendous impact on college basketball,'' UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “Beyond his remarkable accomplishments as a player, it's his relentless energy, enthusiasm for the game and unwavering candor that have been the hallmarks of his larger than life personality.
“As a passionate UCLA alumnus and broadcaster, he loved being around our players, hearing their stories and sharing his wisdom and advice. For me as a coach, he was honest, kind, and always had his heart in the right place.''
Walton was the first player selected in the 1974 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, but had an injury-plagued professional career, playing at least 60 games in only three seasons, but did lead Portland to the championship in 1977.
Walton signed a seven-year, $7 million contract with the then-San Diego Clippers in 1979 after missing the previous season because of a foot injury. He played only 14 games for the Clippers in his first season with the team after re-fracturing the navicular bone in the fourth 1979 exhibition game. He missed all of the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons, after undergoing several surgeries on his injured foot.
Walton resumed playing in the 1982-83 season, playing in 33 games. He remained with the Clippers through the 1984-85 season, their first in Los Angeles, then was traded to the Boston Celtics.
Walton played a career-high 80 games for the Celtics in the 1986-87 season, received the Sixth Man of the Year Award, helping Boston to the NBA title. Another injury limited him to 10 games the following season.
Walton spent the 1987-88 season on the injured list. He attempted a comeback in February 1990, but injuries intervened and he retired as a player.
Walton overcame a stutter to become an Emmy-winning broadcaster. He began his broadcasting career in 1990 as an analyst on Clippers' telecasts on the Prime Ticket regional sports network, working alongside longtime play-by-play broadcaster Ralph Lawler.
“I never had a better friend and there are hundreds of others who feel the same way,'' Lawler wrote on Facebook. “He leaves a giant hole in our hearts.''
Walton was also an analyst for CBS, ESPN, ABC and the Pac-12 Network, winning a Sports Emmy for best live television sports telecast in 1991 and being selected as one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all-time by the American Sportscasters Association in 2009.
“Bill often described himself as `the luckiest guy in the world,' but anyone who had the opportunity to interact with Bill was the lucky one,'' ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “He was a truly special, giving person who always made time for others.
“Bill's one-of-a-kind spirit captivated and inspired audiences during his second career as a successful broadcaster.'' Walton's other honors included selection to NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.
“Bill Walton was truly one of a kind,'' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position. Bill then translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to broadcasting, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans.
“But what I will remember most about him was his zest for life. He was a regular presence at league events – always upbeat, smiling ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth. I treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered.''
Former President Barack Obama called Walton “the embodiment of unselfish team play.''
“He was also a wonderful spirit full of curiosity, humor and kindness,'' Obama posted on the social platform X. “We are poorer for his passing.''
Walton was also a devoted fan of the rock band Grateful Dead, attending more than 850 of their concerts, beginning in 1967 when he was in high school, and occasionally playing drums with them, including at their 1978 performance before the Pyramids in Egypt.
“Bill was my best friend,'' Mickey Hart, a drummer for the Grateful Dead for more than 24 years posted on X. “He was an amazing person, singular, irreplaceable, giving, loving. He called himself the luckiest man in the world but it was us who were lucky to know him.
“There are things you can replace. And others you cannot. Bon voyage, old friend, I love you.''
Walton was born on Nov. 5, 1952, in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa, where he grew up and played basketball at Helix High School, leading the Highlanders to San Diego Section championships in 1969 and 1970 and a 49-game winning streak.
Walton is survived by his wife Lori and sons Adam, Chris, Nate and Luke. Luke played 10 seasons in the NBA, was a member of two NBA championship teams with the Lakers and coached the Lakers and Sacramento Kings. He is now an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Today I had to say goodbye to a great friend that I will always miss,'' fellow UCLA star and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar posted on X. “The world feels so much heavier now. On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court, he wasn't happy unless he did everything he could to make everyone around him happy. He was the best of us.''
