Bill Walton
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William Theodore Walton III, better known as Bill Walton (born November 5, 1952 in San Diego, California), is a former American basketball player and current television sportscaster.
Walton played college basketball at UCLA from 1970 to 1974, winning the national title in 1973 in a win over Memphis State in which Walton made 21 of 22 shots; some regard this as the greatest ever offensive performance in American college basketball.
He went on to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA title in 1977. The following year, the Blazers won 50 of their first 60 games, leading the league, before Walton suffered a broken foot, which turned out to be the first in a horrific string of foot and ankle injuries that cut short his career. He was nonetheless named the league MVP that season (1978).
After several seasons alternating between the court and the disabled list with both Portland and his hometown San Diego Clippers, he spent a considerable amount of money to buy himself out of his Clippers contract in 1985. He then called Jerry West, then general manager (GM) of the Los Angeles Lakers, asking about the prospects of playing for the team; West refused, citing Walton's injury history. Next, he called Boston Celtics GM Red Auerbach. At the urging of Larry Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office at the time of Walton's call, Auerbach signed Walton, adding the perfect piece to the Celtics' last championship run to date (1986). Providing a reliable backup to Bird's fellow front-liners Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, Walton would receive the NBA Sixth Man Award that season, becoming the only player to have ever won both the Sixth Man Award and MVP.
However, he was again injured the following season. Walton attempted a comeback in 1990, but injury again intervened; he then permanently retired from the game. His ankle problems became so severe years later that he had both his ankles surgically fused.
As of 2003, Walton is a basketball television analyst for ESPN. His son Luke, although not as tall as his father, currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers as a forward. Another of Walton's sons, Chris plays for San Diego State University.
Walton was also a well-known fan of the Grateful Dead, attending numerous Dead concerts, and was even invited to play on-stage with the group.
External links
- Bill Walton's official site (http://www.billwalton.com)