Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [34] "One of the saddest days for Coach Wooden was the day he came down and had to bail me out of jail after I got arrested in the anti-Vietnam (War) protest. [46], On May 13, 1979, Walton signed as a veteran free agent with the San Diego Clippers; the Portland Trail Blazers received Kevin Kunnert, Kermit Washington and a 1980 first-round draft pick (Mike Gminski was later selected) as compensation ordered by the NBA. Red looks down at me. His older brother Bruce played football at UCLA, enrolling a year ahead of Bill. All of those guys all still my friends to this very day. Look at his feet. Walton once had a triple-double against SMU with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. One new team enters after the opening weekend. Nonetheless, he was one of the greatest college basketball players in history. [23], In the 25-team 1972 NCAA tournament, UCLA defeated Weber State 9058. Portland Trail Blazers, 1st round (1st pick, 1st overall), 1974 NBA Draft, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1993 (Full List), More Bill Walton pages at Sports Reference. Do you have a blog? I found a safe place in life in basketball. We couldn't get him out. We thought he was nuts, but when you're hot and when you're on top and it's all happening, you never think. In 1994, Walton was voted into the Verizon Academic All-American Hall of Fame. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. [87], In 2001, Walton received an Emmy Award for "Best Live Sports Television Broadcast" and in 2018 was the recipient of the CoSIDA Dick Enberg Award. I'm lying on the table there in the doctors examining room. He did not get his wish and sat out the entire 1979 season in protest. He creates so many problems. [46], Walton described doctors looking at his X-rays at the hospital after he arrived in Boston: "And then Red, he bursts in through the double doors and he's smoking his cigar in the hospital, and he walks in and says, 'Who are you guys and what are you doing with my player?' Portland lost the series to Seattle in six games. But, he played in only six games and did not start any of them. [93][94] Luke was the head coach of the Lakers (20162019), after two years as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors. And I was going to go until I couldn't go anymore. I was a very shy, reserved player and a very shy, reserved person. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Thank you Larry Bird. Join our linker program. He added 13 rebounds, two assists, and one block, to lead Bruins to a seventh straight title, 8766 over Memphis State; the Tigers were led by head coach Gene Bartow (who replaced Wooden at UCLA three years later),[29] with players Larry Kenon and Larry Finch. He rung up 2,402 points over his collegiate career and was selected as an All-American three times. In 2015, he made a visit to the Ken Kesey Collection while on a stop at the University of Oregon. [114], Walton also considers himself a fan and friend of the late writer Ken Kesey. Do you have a blog? In 2009, however, after undergoing surgery because of chronic back problems, he briefly stepped away from his second profession. Do you have a blog? The following series of photographs in The Daily Herald (Provo, UT) show Walton's technique of grabbing a rebound, holding the ball high over his head and throwing a two-handed overhead pass to a teammate. Walton's injuries and surgeries limited his career, and counting his 19781979 year-long holdout, Walton played in 44% of the regular season games in his 13-year career. Bill Walton, a three-time National Player of the Year and a key member in UCLA's dynasty under John Wooden, was one of the greatest men's college basketball players ever. He also won the national . [116] It remained on The New York Times bestseller list for two weeks in April 2016. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Walton played significantly less healthy seasons, but in those seasons, he practically guarantees your team a title as long as he has a decent supporting cast (in the mold of a Prime Shaq, Jordan, Duncan, LeBron, etc.) [23][24], In the 1972 Final Four, Walton had 33 points and 21 rebounds, on 11 of 13 shooting and 11 of 12 free-throws, against Louisville in the NCAA semifinal, as UCLA won 9677. Their comparative career stats: WALTON 468 Games averaging 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 blocks on 52.1% shooting from the field. I had three different periods of my life in my relationship with him: (1) when I was a high school student and he was recruiting me; (2) when I played for him when I was 17 to 21; (3) and then 36 years of being his friend. It's become my greatest accomplishment of my life and everybody else's biggest nightmare."[79]. In the Nuggets series Walton averaged 17.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 3.0 blocks. Two titanium rods and four four-inch bolts were inserted in his back. The Rockets had no set practice facility and would often play pick-up games at Helix High School. At the St. Louis Arena on March26, Walton scored 44 points on near-perfect 21 of 22 shooting. In Walton's only NCAA tournament loss of his career, a double-overtime thriller against N.C. State, he still had 29 points and 18 rebounds while playing all 50 minutes, so he sure did his part to keep the Bruins in the game. John Wooden. He is a real estate executive. The Waltons' La Mesa home was a hillside home on Colorado Avenue, just below Lake Murray. An alternate broadcast featuring . Updates? Bill was taller, but frail as he had not filled out his growing frame. [105], Walton is known as a vegetarian and a meditation practitioner. Do you have a sports website? 13 on USA Today's list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time. Elvin and I are still close friends. "Walton has averaged 21.3 points per game and 15.5 rebounds per game, despite riding the bench much of the time after the starters had built insurmountable leads," wrote The Daily Herald's sports editor Joe Watts. Center Bill Walton was an absolute monster during his three-year stretch at UCLA in the '70s. He may not have been fast in the traditional sense at 6-11, 210 pounds, but he was quick. "[36], UCLA finished 264 and 122 in the Pac 8 Conference, with Walton playing alongside Keith Wilkes, David Myers, and Marques Johnson. Bill Walton Greatest Games: 44 Points vs Memphis State (1973 NCAA FInal) - YouTube 0:00 / 5:04 Bill Walton Greatest Games: 44 Points vs Memphis State (1973 NCAA FInal) Larry Legend 20.2K. [46][11], Due to injuries, Walton spent more time on the disabled list than on the court with his hometown team. If you let him have the ball around the basket, you're dead. However, he returned to broadcasting the following year. After being selected as the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft, Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award that season. Let's go. Walton was injured again in the 198687 regular season, but returned in time for the 1987 playoffs. Bill Walton was born in La Mesa, California. Bruce was a star football player as well. Playing with four personal fouls, Walton fell hard to the floor on a play and injured his left knee and ankle. In the NCAA championship game, he had 24 points and 20 rebounds in the Bruins' 8176 victory over Florida State. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. He then limped off the floor, receiving an ovation from the 19,301 fans. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. I'm the luckiest guy in the world. Bill Walton attended Helix in La Mesa, California and UCLA. I'm the lucky one, in that I never thought going through all of it that I would be healthy at the end. [10], During his sophomore year of high school (age 1516), Walton grew from 6ft 1in (1.85m) to 6ft 7in (2.01m). Walton scored eight of UCLA's first 12 points in the game and never looked back. I drove the poor guy to an early grave when he was 99. "I didn't want to play and I told Coach Wooden that. With Walton, UCLA won the NCAA Championship in 1972 over Florida State and again in 1973 with an 8766 win over Memphis State in which Walton made 21 of 22 field-goal attempts and scored 44 points. However, his professional career began to be significantly hampered by multiple foot injuries requiring numerous surgeries. I lived most of my life by myself. [15] In addition, Walton's 825 rebounds that season ranks No 3 all-time. Walton then suffered a broken foot, ending his regular season. Walton called the game the most disappointing outcome of his entire basketball career, as UCLA had a 5-point lead late in regulation and a 7-point lead in the 2nd overtime, before NC State with David Thompson rallied to win, 8077. Perhaps, I've never had a better team when you consider both offense and defense. I'm very proud of this team. He earned an Emmy Award in 1991. He is a graduate of Indiana University. A better player. Before the injuries hampered his professional career, Bill Walton dominated college basketball. Walton scored in a variety of ways against Memphis State. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Bruce played in Super Bowl X, making Bill and Bruce the only brothers to play in the Super Bowl and NBA Finals. Walton worked for CBS (1990), NCAA on CBS (1991),[80] NBC (19902002), the Los Angeles Clippers (19902002) and ABC/ESPN (20022009). Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. What other performance could possibly come close to that? Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. He originally joined ESPN in 2002 as a lead analyst for ESPN and ABC's NBA coverage. 1977 NBA Finals MVP. [117], Walton, who has a service dog, wrote the foreword to the 2015 book Unconditional Honor: Wounded Warriors and their Dogs by author Cathy Scott. "[11], In Walton's senior year, UCLA's 88-game winning streak ended with a 7170 loss at Notre Dame on January 19, 1974. Walton had 14 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists against Indiana. After graduating from high school, Walton embarked on an outstanding collegiate career at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), leading his team to a pair of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships under legendary coach John Wooden in 1972 and 1973. A disgrace to the game of basketball, a disgrace to sport. 2x NCAA CHAMPION . 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