Hall of Famer Bill Walton has died at 71
NBA great, two-time champion, and longtime broadcaster Bill Walton passed away on Monday.
On Monday afternoon, the NBA announced the passing of basketball legend and Boston Celtics great Bill Walton after a prolonged battle with cancer. Walton was 71.
“What I will remember most about him was his zest for life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “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. As a cherished member of the NBA family for 50 years, Bill will be deeply missed by all those who came to know and love him.”
Walton was a two-time NCAA champion and three time national college player of the year in the early 70s at UCLA, then was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974. He’d win a title with the Blazers in 1976 (he was named MVP of that series), then was named NBA MVP the next year.
Ahead of the 1985-1986 season Walton was acquired by the Celtics via trade to add a veteran presence and depth behind Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. Despite having dealt with injuries for much of his career Walton played a career-high 80 games that season and was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year as the Celtics went on to win the NBA championship – giving Walton his second ring. That season also made him the only player to have won an NBA Finals MVP, Sixth Man Award, and regular season MVP.
In 468 career games Walton averaged 13.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. In addition to his MVP his NBA and Sixth Man of the Year awards his accolades include his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, four All-NBA nods and placement on the NBA 50th and 75h anniversary teams.
Following his retirement in 1990 Walton got into broadcasting. He called both NBA and college games, spending the last 10 years working Pac-12 games for ESPN. His conversational style and stories he’d tell during games became fixtures of those broadcasts.
Walton was a big fan of the Grateful Dead, and often referenced the band or wore clothing with their logo. He famously took the Celtics team to a Grateful Dead concert during the 1986 championship season.
