![Bill Walton, a Hall of Famer and two-time champion at UCLA and in the NBA, passes away Bill Walton, a Hall of Famer and two-time champion at UCLA and in the NBA, passes away](https://i1.wp.com/a2.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2024%2F0527%2Fr1338415_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
May 27, 2024, 01:17 pm Eastern Time
Basketball legend Bill Walton, who led the UCLA Bruins to two national titles before winning two championships during his NBA career, has died at the age of 71 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The NBA released a statement saying Walton died Monday surrounded by his family.
“Bill Walton was truly unique,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
He was the NBA MVP in the 1977-78 season and a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams. All of that followed a college career in which he was a two-time champion at UCLA and a three-time national player of the year under iconic coach John Wooden.
“What I will remember most about him was his enthusiasm for life,” Silver said in his statement. “He was a regular presence at league events, always upbeat, smiling from ear to ear and seeking to share his wisdom and warmth. He treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he devoted to every person he met.
“As a beloved member of the NBA family for 50 years, Bill will be deeply missed by all who came to know and love him.”
Walton, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1993, was larger than life, on and off the court and during his television career.
His NBA career, cut short by chronic foot injuries, lasted just 468 games with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego and eventually the LA Clippers and Boston Celtics. He averaged 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in those games, neither of those numbers exactly record-breaking.
Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
Still, his impact on the game was enormous.
His most famous game was the 1973 NCAA title game, UCLA vs. Memphis, in which he shot an incredible 21 of 22 from the field and led the Bruins to another national championship.
The Bruins kept giving Walton the ball, and he continued to put on a performance for the ages.
“It’s very difficult to put into words what he has meant to the UCLA program, as well as his tremendous impact on college basketball,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said Monday. “Beyond his notable achievements as a player, his relentless energy, enthusiasm for the game and his unwavering candor have been the hallmarks of his larger-than-life personality.
“As a passionate UCLA alumnus and broadcaster, he loved being around our players, listening to their stories, and sharing his wisdom and advice. To me, as a coach, he was honest, kind, and always had his heart in the right place. I will miss him “It’s hard to imagine a season at Pauley Pavilion without him.”
Walton originally joined Keynote USA and Keynote USA in 2002 as a lead analyst for NBA Games before moving to college basketball in 2012. He also worked for Keynote USA and Keynote USA and was named one of the 50 Greatest Sports Broadcasters of All Time by the American Sports Broadcasters Association in 2009.
“As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position,” Silver said. “Bill then translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to the broadcast, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary that entertained generations of basketball fans.”
The 6-foot-11 Walton, the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Trail Blazers, played 10 seasons in the NBA, winning championships with the Blazers (1977) and Celtics (1986). He averaged a double-double throughout his career, totaling 6,215 points (13.3 per game), 4,923 rebounds (10.5 per game), 1,034 blocks (2.2 per game) and 1,590 assists.
A two-time All-Star, he led the NBA in rebounds and blocks in 1977 and was the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1986.
The Keynote USA contributed to this report.
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