Bill Walton

William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American professional basketball player and television sportscaster. He was born in La Mesa, California.

Walton played college basketball at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he won three national college player of the year awards, and led UCLA to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973.

Professionally, Walton played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers, and Boston Celtics. He led the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977, and won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. The following season, Walton was the 1978 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He won a championship with the Celtics in 1986. His professional career lasted from 1974 until 1988.^[1]

Walton was a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. After his playing career, he became a successful sportscaster. In 2001, Walton received an Emmy Award for "Best Live Sports Television Broadcast".^[2]

Walton died from colon cancer at his home in San Diego, California on May 27, 2024, at the age of 71.^[3]^[2]

References[change | change source]

↑ "Hall of Famer Bill Walton, 71, dies of cancer". ESPN.com. 2024-05-27. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Sandomir, Richard (May 27, 2024). "Bill Walton, N.B.A. Hall of Famer and Broadcasting Star, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
↑ Quick, Jason (May 27, 2024). "Bill Walton, one of basketball's most eccentric characters, dies at 71". The Athletic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024. Bill Walton, a Hall of Fame center who authored a career that was triumphant and tragic, as well as colorful and controversial, died Monday at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer, the NBA announced.

Other websites[change | change source]

Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
Official website
Walton's historical profile on NBA.com
Bill Walton commentary on Pete Maravich at YouTube
Bill Walton on IMDb

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[1] "Hall of Famer Bill Walton, 71, dies of cancer". ESPN.com. 2024-05-27. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-27.

[Sandomir-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Sandomir, Richard (May 27, 2024). "Bill Walton, N.B.A. Hall of Famer and Broadcasting Star, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.

[3] Quick, Jason (May 27, 2024). "Bill Walton, one of basketball's most eccentric characters, dies at 71". The Athletic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024. Bill Walton, a Hall of Fame center who authored a career that was triumphant and tragic, as well as colorful and controversial, died Monday at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer, the NBA announced.

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