Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Playing with four personal fouls, Walton fell hard to the floor on a play and injured his left knee and ankle. And I almost wasn't. Jerry West college stats and vitals School: West Virginia Position: Guard Height: 6-2 Weight: 175 pounds Years active: 1957-60 NCAA tournament record: 6-3 Career averages: 24.8 points per game,. ", UCLA coach John Wooden: "There have only been two men I have coached that could have played on the varsity in their freshman years Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton. Professional Life of Bill Walton. 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. Alternate titles: William Theodore Walton III. He left that to David Thompson, whose N.C. State Wolfpack downed Walton in the 1974 NCAA championship, or Julius. In 1972-73, they were 30-0 again and won four . The titles made Walton and him the first NBA father-son pair to have both won multiple NBA championships. Research validated Walton's claim. The craziest part? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Bill Walton was born in La Mesa, California. Wow. All rights reserved. [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?' [46], At age 17, just out of high school, in the summer of 1970, Walton was selected to represent USA Basketball at the 1970 FIBA World Championship. 1977 NBA Finals MVP. Prior to joining the varsity team, Walton (18.1 ppg, 68.6% field goal accuracy), along with Greg Lee (17.9 ppg) and Keith Wilkes (20.0 ppg), was a member of the 200 197071 UCLA freshman team. And I looked up at him, and I said, 'Red, I think I can. [84], While broadcasting a WashingtonOregon January 2019 game with Dave Pasch, Walton mentioned he had appeared in the motion picture Ghostbusters. [11], On September 6, 1985, Walton was traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to the Boston Celtics for Cedric Maxwell and a 1986 1st round draft pick (Arvydas Sabonis was later selected). Give me the phone!' 3. North Carolina State defeated the Bruins 8077 in double overtime in the NCAA semi-finals. [67], Overall, Walton played 90 total games for the Celtics, shooting 55.1% and averaging 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 blocks in 18 minutes. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Walton played for UCLA under Coach Wooden from 1971 to 1974. In 2015, he made a visit to the Ken Kesey Collection while on a stop at the University of Oregon. In a Final Four game against Louisville in the 1972 NCAA tournament, Walton was 11-of-15 from the field, scoring 33 points to go along with 21 rebounds. I said, 'Mom, that's Big E! They followed American basketball closely and they knew that no Walton was going to be a big deal." [46], Portland finished the regular season 5824 and Walton returned for the 1978 NBA playoffs. He was a dynamic big moment guy, and I just wish I could have risen to the occasion. He is a graduate of Indiana University. In the NCAA championship game, he had 24 points and 20 rebounds in the Bruins' 8176 victory over Florida State. We present them here for purely educational purposes. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. "[36], UCLA finished 264 and 122 in the Pac 8 Conference, with Walton playing alongside Keith Wilkes, David Myers, and Marques Johnson. Red looks down at me. I've had 37 (38 now) orthopedic operations. Bill Walton III Position: Center 6-11 , 210lb (211cm, 95kg) School: UCLA (Men) Draft: Portland Trail Blazers, 1st round (1st pick, 1st overall), 1974 NBA draft 2x NCAA Champion 3x NCAA All-Tourney 3x NCAA All-Region 2x NCAA Tourney MOP HS Parade AA 2x AP POY 3x Consensus AA 3x Naismith Award 3x Rupp Trophy SUMMARY Career G 87 PTS 20.3 TRB 15.7 AST It was a humbling honor and privilege to be on the same squad as true legends Monroe Nash, Wilbur Strong, Phil Edwards, and Bruce Menser. [60][59], The 1986 NBA playoffs were Walton's first taste of the postseason in nearly a decade, at age 33. Crum first saw Walton in 1968 as a high school junior and was at first dubious when hearing of Walton, but went to scout him anyway. At the St. Louis Arena on March26, Walton scored 44 points on near-perfect 21 of 22 shooting. "When that happened, he'd tell me and I'd take him out. Robert Parish accepting Bill Walton for who he is and what kind of player he was, I thought that was major. "[8], "When they would begin to rough up Bill, I would look at coach and he would give me a nod", recalled Bruce. Staying relatively healthy, Walton became an integral component of an already talented Celtics team and, in a reserve role, helped Boston win the NBA title in 1986. Even on his layups and dunks, Walton was incredibly active in his setup and footwork on the low block. [19], Beginning in elementary and high school, Walton had loyally followed UCLA's basketball team on the radio. That's because offensively, Walton played a key role in transition. [38], In the 1974 Final Four, UCLA's record seven consecutive national titles was broken. Walton's only four losses came in his senior year (Notre Dame, Oregon State, Oregon and then NC State in the NCAA tournament). [57], In five seasons with Portland, Walton played in 209 games, averaging a double-double of 17.1 points and 13.5 rebounds, with 4.4 assists and 2.6 blocks. John Wooden. The vitals for Bill Walton School: UCLA Position: Center Height: 6-11 Weight: 210 pounds Years active: 1971-74 NCAA tournament record: 11-1 College averages: 20.3 points per game, 15.7. In a 2004 interview with ESPN, Walton stated that "for the first time in my life, I was exposed to negative coaching and the berating of players and the foul language and the threatening of people who didnt perform. Walton was named the 1972 NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player. "He would simply get too tired", recalled Nash. Walton then suffered a broken foot, ending his regular season. Thank you Red Auerbach. He fully realized his potential during that season, averaging nearly 19 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.2 blocks per game. He then limped off the floor, receiving an ovation from the 19,301 fans. His commentary has been noted for his frequent use of catchphrases and hyperbole. 2x NCAA CHAMPION . Bill Walton is my main man, for that reason."[66]. One anecdote that particularly illustrates Walton's decision to choose the Celtics over the Lakers involves Larry Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office when Walton called. [116] It remained on The New York Times bestseller list for two weeks in April 2016. And Red, through the smoke, with a big, cherubic grin on his face, looked at the doctors, looked at me, and he said, 'He's fine. I've got a new knee. I became his worst nightmare. Walton would takes passes that weren't necessarily intended to be alley-oops and he score an alley-oop layup off of them. In April 2019, Luke Walton was named head coach of the Sacramento Kings. I'll never be able to wash that off, and I carry it with me forever. Portland, concerned that Walton was injury-prone, traded him to the San Diego Clippers after the 197879 season. Walton was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of both tournaments and established an NCAA tournament career record for field goal percentage at 68.6 percent (109 of 159 field goals) from 1972 to 1974. "Walton started UCLA's famed fast break with quick outlet passes," noted the AP. Career Stats "Off the floor I worried. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The Rockets had no set practice facility and would often play pick-up games at Helix High School. One new team enters after the opening weekend. Nonetheless, he was one of the greatest college basketball players in history. His high arch, which made the foot bones susceptible to breaking, was lowered to relieve the stress on the bones. "[98], Chris Walton played for San Diego State. I never spoke to anybody. Bill was taller, but frail as he had not filled out his growing frame. A better player. [95][96][97] Luke was named after Walton's friend and former teammate Maurice Lucas. He also set the single-tournament mark by shooting 76.3 percent (45 of 59) in 1973. He was named first-team All-American with Jim Chones of Marquette, Bo Lamar of the Louisiana-Lafayette, Ed Ratleff of Long Beach State, and Tom Riker of South Carolina. 60 games): 20.3 points per game, Fourth, tied for fifth in rebounds in an NCAA tournament semifinal: 18 (1974), 17 (1973), Tied for fourth all-time in rebounds in an NCAA tournament championship game: 20 (1972), Fourth in UCLA history in field goals made: 747, Fifth all-time in most rebounds in a season: 506 rebounds in 1973, Sixth all-time in highest rebound average in a season: 16.9 rebounds per game in 1973, Thirteenth all-time in career field goal percentage: 65.1 percent, Nineteenth and 24th on UCLA's all-time single-season scoring average list: 21.1 ppg (1972), 20.4 ppg (1973), Tied for 18th all-time for most double-doubles in a season: 27 (in 30 games) in 1973, Tied for 21st all-time for most double-doubles in a career: 72 double-doubles, Tied for 22nd all-time in most rebounds in a game since 1973: 27 rebounds against Loyola Chicago and Maryland in 1973, Tied for 27th all-time in consecutive double-doubles in a season: 15 consecutive double-doubles in 1971-72. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. And so I spent the rest of my life, first of all, trying to make it up to him; and second of all, no longer [bringing] consternation into his life."[20]. After losing the first two games, the Blazers won four straight to win the NBA championship. And they're saying, 'Red, come here. Join our linker program. His career was rehabilitated during two seasons with the Boston Celtics at the end of his career. But I will take one. Bill Walton was born on November 5, 1952. San Diego had also signed Wilt Chamberlain as a player-coach as further incentive. [27], In the 25-team 1973 NCAA tournament, UCLA defeated Arizona State 9881 and then San Francisco in the West Regional Final 5439 to reach the Final Four. "I wish we had NBA basketball here, and we don't because of me. I had no idea what we had at UCLA. He creates so many problems. Walton's most famous college performance was a 44-point outburst in the 1973 NCAA tournament national championship against Memphis State, when he made 21-of-22 field goal attempts. Born: March 28, 1980 in San Diego, California us Relatives: Father Bill Walton. [40], Walton left UCLA to begin a new life in professional basketball and kept a lifetime friendship with Coach Wooden. He played 20 minutes in his last game for UCLA and Coach Wooden. The Irish made six shots in a row, winning on Dwight Clay's shot with 29 seconds left, as Notre Dame prevailed 7170. He had 24 and 16 at halftime. [99][100], Nate Walton played basketball at Princeton. Bill Walton probably had one of the best games anybody ever had in the history of college basketball."[33]. I think I can, Red.' He loved playing basketball, just loved it, practices, games especially away games. Walton once had a triple-double against SMU with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. College: UCLA High School: Helix in La Mesa, California "[36], UCLA had to come back and play in the NCAA 3rd place game, in which they eventually defeated Kansas. Walton won 1 MVP Award, was selected to play in 2 All-Star Games, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993. Bruce was a star football player as well. He was a good but injury-prone pro. I'm lying on the table there in the doctors examining room. "[11], In Walton's senior year, UCLA's 88-game winning streak ended with a 7170 loss at Notre Dame on January 19, 1974. [77][78], Walton said about his speech issues and subsequent career, "I'm a stutterer. [118][119], Walton has cameo appearances in the films 88 and 1, Celtic Pride, Little Nicky and Semi-Pro, and appeared as Sven the Wise in the 2011 Capital One Visigoth SportsNet commercials. 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