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The broader basketball world has lost one of its truly larger-than-life figures.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton died on Monday following a prolonged battle with cancer, with the NBA announcing the news on behalf of his family. He was 71 years old.
“What I will remember most about him was his zest for life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He was a regular presence at league events — always upbeat, smiling ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth. I treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered. As a cherished member of the NBA family for 50 years, Bill will be deeply missed by all those who came to know and love him.”
REQUIRED READING: Bill Walton, Hall of Famer and UCLA legend, dies at age 71
Though Walton is known by younger generations primarily as a broadcaster — with his offbeat and often off-subject analysis becoming a staple of ESPN’s Pac-12 basketball coverage — that can obscure his legendary basketball career, which is among the most decorated in the sport’s history when NBA, college and high school accomplishments are taken into account.
At the professional level, Walton was a two-time NBA champion and won NBA Finals MVP in 1977 for the Portland Trail Blazers, whom he led to the franchise’s lone NBA title. Though injuries shortened his career, he was a two-time NBA all-star and made both the league’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams.
Perhaps his greatest mark on the sport, however, came in college at UCLA, where he amassed a resume that’s among the greatest in college basketball history. Here’s a deeper look at Walton’s storied college career:
REQUIRED READING: The best moments from Bill Walton’s broadcasting career
Bill Walton college
Walton arrived at UCLA in 1970 as a prized 6-foot-11 center from nearby La Mesa, California. During Walton’s recruitment, UCLA assistant Denny Crum, who later went on to lead…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bill-walton-college-stats-highlights-200251908.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-05-27 20:02:51
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