Bill Walton Passed Away at 71. Many Loved Him

Bill Walton passed away this weekend at the age of 71. He had been fighting cancer for some time. While he was 6 foot 11 inches in size, he was larger than life while he walked the earth and enjoyed life more than most during his time here.

Walton led the John Wooden-UCLA Bruins to two titles and was a three time national player of the year. He also won two titles as an NBA player. He was an NBA MVP in the 1977-78 season. I think his most impressive day as a player was during the 1973 national championship vs Memphis State where he scored 44 points on 21-22 shooting. A close second would be his over all record in three seasons as a Bruin where he went 86-4. That stretch included two 30-0 seasons.

The Portland Trail Blazers picked him number one overall in the 1974 NBA draft. He won a title with the Blazers and later with the Celtics. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Outside of basketball he loved going to Grateful Dead concerts and loved talking about the famous band. He loved taking his teammates to concerts as well.

Following his playing career he became a broadcaster and became famous for his casual attire and out-of-the-box descriptions of the game. Sometimes those descriptions were simply strange. But that was Bill Walton - in a good way.

Back in the early 2000's I hosted a nationally syndicated sports radio talk show and for several years Walton would join me every week for a segment during the college basketball season. I would introduce him and he would go on for 15 minutes and I would say goodbye before a hard out on the network clock cut us both off. He was the easiest interview guest I ever had. Bill Walton passed away this weekend. He was 71. RIP Bill.

Join us for more on Bill Walton on Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida from 2-6.