Tributes pour in for Walton, a two-time NBA champion and basketball Hall of Famer remembered as “truly one of a kind.”
Bill Walton, two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion, Hall of Fame player and beloved broadcaster, has died at age 71, the league says.
The NBA said Walton passed away on Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer.
“Bill Walton was truly one of a kind,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
Walton, a 7-foot-1 center who moved gracefully despite his height, achieved stardom in college, where he was part of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) dynasty under coach John Wooden.
He won National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) championships in 1972 and 1973 before establishing himself as a force early in his professional career.
Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to the championship in 1977 and was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player the following year.
His most famous performance was the 1973 NCAA title game – UCLA vs. Memphis – in which he shot an incredible 21 of 22 from the field and led the Bruins to another national championship.
But Walton’s NBA career — cut short by chronic foot injuries — lasted just 468 games with Portland, then San Diego and eventually the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics.
He averaged 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in those games, neither of those numbers exactly a record. Still, his impact on the game was enormous.
“As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position. His unique all-around skills made him a dominant force at UCLA and led to a regular season and NBA Finals MVP, two NBA Championships and a spot on the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams,” Silver said Monday. .
When Walton retired from the NBA, he turned to broadcasting, something he never thought he could be good at or would be possible for him because he had a pronounced stutter at times in his life.
But he excelled, winning an Emmy Award and being named one of the 50 greatest sportscasters of all time by the American Sportscasters Association.
RIP to a friend, 2x NBA Champion, Hall of Famer and one of the most skilled centers we’ve ever seen, Bill Walton! His NCAA Championship performance as the UCLA Bruin against Memphis is by far the most dominant NCAA Championship performance of all time-he shot 21 for 22 and had…
– Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 27, 2024
And Walton, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1993, was larger than life, on and off the court.
He “delivered insightful and colorful comments that entertained generations of basketball fans,” Silver said Monday. “But what I will remember most about him was his zest for life.
“He was a regular presence at league events – always upbeat, smiling from ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth.”
Tributes also poured in for Walton from some of the biggest names in basketball, including Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who described Walton as “one of the most skilled centers we’ve ever seen.”
“They talk about [Denver Nuggets star Nikola] Jokic was the most skilled center, but Bill Walton was first! From shooting to incredible passing, he was one of the smartest basketball players who ever lived,” Johnson wrote on X.
“Bill was a great ambassador for college basketball and the NBA, and he will be greatly missed.”
Julius “Dr. J” Erving also paid tribute to Walton and offered condolences to his family.
“Bill Walton enjoyed life in every way. Competing against him and working with him has been a blessing in my life,” Erving said in a social media post.
I am sad today to learn that my comrade and one of the most beloved champions and characters in the sporting world has passed away. Bill Walton enjoyed life in every way. Competing against him and working with him was a blessing in my life. Sorry for his loss, Walton family. We will miss him too. Doctor pic.twitter.com/GAEt1DRH8N
– Julius Dr. J Erving (@JuliusErving) May 27, 2024
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
