Bill Walton

By Tom Kirvan

Aside from being U.S. Election Day this year, November 5 is also the birth date of a Hall of Fame basketball player who was one of the most beloved characters in the sport, a three-time Naismith College Player of the Year that later became a one-of-a-kind TV broadcaster.

His name was Bill Walton, a UCLA basketball legend who led the Bruins to two national titles in the 1970s and was the driving force behind the team’s 88-game winning streak that included two undefeated seasons. The top pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, Walton was dogged by a series of injuries during his pro career but still managed to be a key part of two NBA title-winning teams, the Portland Trailblazers in 1977 and the Boston Celtics in 1986.

When his playing days ended, Walton enjoyed a second career as a colorful basketball analyst, regaling listeners with his oddball insight into life on and off the court. In particular, he took great joy in weaving in assorted stories about his fascination with the Grateful Dead, the rock band known for its eclectic style and dedicated following of fans. In his 2016 biography “Back from the Dead,” Walton wrote that he had attended more than 850 Grateful Dead concerts since the band first emerged in the mid-1960s. Before he died earlier this year at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer, Walton wanted it known that his induction into the Grateful Dead Hall of Honor was “my highest honor,” eclipsing all of the basketball awards that he accumulated during his legendary career.

Bill Walton*

Walton, who grew up in San Diego, was a sportswriter’s dream, waxing poetic about topics that ranged far and wide. A sampling:

"Never rank, rate, or compare coaches, children, concerts, or championships or congratulations. Just enjoy them all."
"Winning is about having the whole team on the same page."
"You don't win championships by just being normal, by just being average."
"A lot of people understand what not saying anything means, so, in effect, not saying anything is really saying a lot."
"Life is about growth. People are not perfect when they're 21 years old."

*©Dominic DiSaia/UCLA. Retrieved from: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/bill-walton-71-legendary-ucla-and-nba-basketball-player-and-sports-broadcaster-has-died