Former UCLA star Bill Walton, who blossomed at UCLA in the early 1970s under legendary coach John Wooden, died at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer, the NBA announced Monday. Walton, a three-time Naismith Award winner and a two-time national champion, is considered one of the greatest college basketball players ever.
After a historic college career at UCLA, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Walton with the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. Walton became a two-time NBA champion (1977 and 1986) and won NBA MVP in 1978. He retired from the NBA after the conclusion of the 1987-88 season.
Walton became a fixture on college basketball broadcasts after his playing career ended by serving as a color commentator at CBS, NBC and ABC/ESPN. While Walton was known for witty humor on Pac-12 basketball broadcasts, he helped call NBA games for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings.
Walton's individual accolades at UCLA
Walton is one of the most accomplished college basketball players ever. Walton helped UCLA capture national championships in 1972 and 1973. Walton was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in both tournaments. In the 1973 title game against Memphis State, Walton scored 44 points on 21 of 22 shooting to give the Bruins their seventh consecutive national title. His 44 points in the title game remain an NCAA record.
"We couldn't contain Walton," Memphis State coach Gene Bartowtold the New York Timesafter the game. "I've never seen a player so dominating as Walton."
Walton played at UCLA before freshman student-athletes could compete on the varsity team. Walton played on UCLA's freshman team during the 1970-71 season before becoming a three-year starter for Wooden. Walton averaged 20.3 points and 15.7 rebounds during his career on the varsity squad.
Walton would later be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Walton and former UCLA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly known as Lew Alcindor) became the first two UCLA men's basketball players to have their jersey numbers retired.
UCLA's historic run with Walton
During Walton's playing career, he helped guide the program to an 86-4 mark. UCLA had back-to-back 30-0 seasons in 1972 and 1973 and capped an unprecedented seventh consecutive national title. UCLA won consecutive titles during the 1964 and 1965 seasons before going on a historic run that included cutting down the nets every season from 1967 (when the Alcindor era began) to 197 (when the Walton era ended).
Walton's team at UCLA won its first 73 games and finished the streak by winning 88 games in a row, which remains the NCAA men's basketball record. The Bruins went 49-0 inside Pauley Pavilion as part of a 98-game home winning streak that started during the 1970-71 campaign.
UCLA is the only program in men's college basketball history to win three or more consecutive titles and the only program to accomplish the feat twice. Oklahoma State, Kentucky, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, and most recently, UConn are the only other teams that have repeated as champions.
Walton became a fan favorite because of his broadcasting style. Walton is best known for calling Pac-12 basketball games, but he also assisted with coverage of the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000 and joined ESPN and ABC as an NBA analyst in 2002.
Walton worked side-by-side with Dave Pasch calling Pac-12 basketball games for ESPN. Pasch opened up about his relationship with Walton during an interview withArizona Sports 98.7 on Tuesday.
"As I look back, going to Syracuse (for school) … you're taught a very professional manner of how to broadcast a game,"Paschsaid. "It's traditional. We all kind sound a lot alike if you listen to a lot of the Syracuse guys in terms of their cadence and how they call the game. But I think I didn't really let my personality out. First of all, I didn't have a choice with Bill. It was good. He made me a better broadcaster because I had to think on my feet. I had to react. I had to determine when to stop him, when to play along, when to nudge him, when to go back at him."
Walton stepped away from broadcasting Clippers games in 2009 due to back problems before returning to work calling Sacramento Kings games part time. Walton won an Emmy in 2001.
My Bill Walton story: When he worked for the Sacramento Kings as a broadcaster (I was 10) I remember asking “Mr. Walton, can I have your autograph?”
He responded by saying “you can call me Bill and yes.”
Walton, who had a prolonged fight with cancer, was 71. He was the NBA's MVP in the 1977-78 season, a two-time champion and a member of both the NBA's 50th anniversary and 75th anniversary teams. That followed a college career in which he was a two-time champion at UCLA
UCLA
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in the sport of men's basketball as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Established in 1919, the program has won a record 11 NCAA titles.
“Bill Walton, you are the slowest learner I've ever had. Don't you realize it's not about stuff. It's not about material accumulation. It's about training the mind to become the champion in everything you do.
With Walton playing alongside Henry Bibby, Larry Farmer, Wilkes, Lee, and Swen Nater, UCLA finished 14–0 in the Pac 8 Conference. In the 25-team 1972 NCAA tournament, UCLA defeated Weber State 90–58.
One of the most exciting college basketball players ever, center Bill Walton helped lead UCLA to an 86-4 record and a pair of national championships in his three-year varsity career (1972-1974). A true scholar-athlete, he graduated with a degree in history and was a three-time Academic All-America choice.
Bill Walton (born November 5, 1952, La Mesa, California, U.S.—died May 27, 2024, San Diego) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player who is considered one of the best all-around players in the sport's history.
He turned a pyramid into the cornerstone of competitive sports. Few individuals are so deeply woven into the identity of UCLA as Coach John Wooden. He led the Bruins to 10 national championships, including four undefeated seasons, two of them back-to-back.
He posted career averages of 20.3 points on 65.1 percent field goal shooting, 15.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists a night. For all his efforts, Walton was only the second-best player in UCLA history. The first, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, never overlapped with him in school, but they became fast friends off the floor...
Bill Walton, a former UCLA men's basketball two-time NCAA champion, NBA Hall of Famer and longtime sportscaster, died Monday, May 27, following a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 71.
Walton doesn't have a stunning political philosophy, or mystical insights into the evils of meat; like thousands of other middle-class Americans who came of age in the late '60s and early '70s, he's just a leftish vegetarian.
So it should come as no surprise when Walton would swing away when given the opportunity to defend his conference and side of the country. After all, he went to UCLA but got a law degree from Stanford.
The first came in 1977, when he was the centerpiece for the Blazers. He averaged 18.2 points, 15.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.4 blocks per game during Portland's playoff run, which culminated in Walton winning NBA Finals MVP.
Walton had 39 surgeries during his playing career, mostly on his feet and ankles, which caused him to miss 762 games over 13 seasons. Three times he missed an entire season because of injury. In his autobiography, Walton wrote that his biggest regret was playing hurt. “I didn't let pain be my guide,” Walton wrote.
Sam Walton (born March 29, 1918, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, U.S.—died April 5, 1992, Little Rock, Arkansas) was an American retail magnate who founded Walmart in 1962 and developed it, by 1990, into the largest retail sales chain in the United States.
The Waltons is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book Spencer's Mountain and the 1963 film of the same name. The series aired from 1972 to 1981.
Bill Walton is a legend in basketball, but the Hall of Fame player-turned-commentator was also well-known for his passion away from the court: the rock band Grateful Dead.
John Wooden was a leader who believed that anything worth doing was worth doing right. He asked his players to focus on being their best selves, respecting and trusting their teammates, and putting in the effort to make the most of what he believed to be their God-given talents.
John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head coach for the UCLA Bruins, including a record seven in a row.
Early life. The son of Susie and former UCLA star and NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton, Luke Walton was born in San Diego, California. He was named after his father's close friend and former Portland Trail Blazers teammate Maurice Lucas. He has three brothers: Adam, Nathan, and Chris.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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