Walton, Bill (1952-2024), was one of the most dominating players in the history of basketball. As a college player, he was named Player of the Year three times and played on two championship teams. He then played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), starring on two championship teams and winning Most Valuable Player honors for the 1977-1978 season. Walton was a center standing 6 feet 11 inches (211 centimeters) tall. He was a consistent scorer, a strong rebounder, and an excellent defensive player. Foot injuries limited his career, forcing him to miss four complete NBA seasons before retiring. He had more than 30 surgical operations on his feet.
William Theodore Walton III was born on Nov. 5, 1952, in La Mesa, California. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1970 to 1974, averaging 20.3 points for his three-year college career. He had one of the highest career field goal accuracy percentages, making 65.1 percent of his shots.
The Portland Trail Blazers selected Walton as the first player in the 1974 NBA draft. He played for Portland for four seasons and then missed the 1978-1979 season because of injuries. He signed with the San Diego Clippers as a free agent in 1979. Walton missed two of his six seasons with the Clippers because of injuries. He was traded to the Boston Celtics in 1985 and played two seasons with Boston, winning the NBA Sixth Man Award as the best reserve in the 1985-1986 season. After missing the 1987-1988 season with injuries, Walton retired as a player. He then became a sports commentator on NBA television broadcasts. Walton was voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. He published an autobiography, Back from the Dead, in 2016. Bill Walton died on May 27, 2024.
Luke Walton, Bill’s son, played basketball at the University of Arizona from 1999 to 2003, when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. Luke played professional basketball until retiring in 2011. He then became a coach, first in college and then joining the staff of the Golden State Warriors of the NBA in 2014. Luke Walton later served as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings.
