FOLLOW US ON TWITTER TO KNOW THE MAN BILL WALTON.
Hall of Fame basketball icon, Bill Walton has died of protracted cancer. We once told you how he gained 86 points within two minutes, making a well recognized as the most successful basketball player in the world. Take a look at his 15 most critical achievements as a basketball player.
Walton, among the most decorated college basketball players of all time, led UCLA to back-to-back NCAA titles as a sophomore and junior (1972, 1973), culminating in a string of seven consecutive NCAA championships won by the Bruins from 1967 through 1973. He was a charter member of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, after playing in the NBA from 1974-87. RIP BILL WALTON OF UCLA BASKETBALL
Walton, who grew up in San Diego and attended Helix High School, played for legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden as the Bruins’ starting center for three seasons (1972-74). Follow our Whatsapp community channel. Playing at UCLA before freshmen student-athletes could compete on the varsity squad, Walton starred on UCLA’s freshman team in 1970–71.
FOR MORE ENQUIRES, CONTACT US HERE.
Walton played on UCLA’s only varsity teams to record back-to-back perfect 30-0 seasons in 1972 and 1973, helping the Bruins compile an 86-4 overall record in three years. His UCLA team won their first 73 games, as the Bruins extended their winning streak to 88 consecutive games (the NCAA men’s basketball record,ring his three varsity seasons, the Bruins went 49-0 in Pauley Pavilion, as part of a 98-game home winning streak that spanned the 1970–71 through 1975–76 basketball seasons. RIP BILL WALTON.
.JOIN OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITY FORUM TO GET THE LATEST AND BREAKING NEWS AS IT BREAKS.
“We have lost one of the greatest players and personalities that this franchise, this sport, and this region have ever known. Bill Walton is synonymous with Southern California basketball: a San Diego native, a UCLA phenom, and a Clipper icon. He defined the game as a player, a broadcaster, and an ambassador, spreading joy for generations. Wherever he went, whatever he did, Big Red stood above the crowd.” — statement from the Los Angeles Clippers.
“My very close friend, fellow Bruin and NBA rival Bill Walton died today. And the world feels so much heavier now. On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court he wasn’t happy unless he did everything he could to make everyone around him happy. He was the best of us.” — fellow UCLA center, NBA star and Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Walton and former UCLA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (known in college as Lew Alcindor) became the first two UCLA men’s basketball players to have their jersey numbers retired. Walton, who wore number 32 during his UCLA career, was honored along with Abdul-Jabbar and former UCLA women’s basketball standouts Ann Meyers-Drysdale and Denise Curry at halftime of the UCLA men’s basketball game against DePaul on Feb. 3, 1990.
The halftime ceremony was a key moment during the school’s “Pauley at 25” celebration during the 1989–90 season and marked the first time in which any UCLA basketball players had their jersey numbers retired. Since then, UCLA has retired the jersey numbers of 10 former men’s basketball players. RIP BILL WALTON.
In the years following his NBA career, Walton turned to sports broadcasting and was involved with multiple charitable and philanthropic organizations, clinics, and camps. He served as both a studio analyst and color commentator. More recently, he worked courtside as a color commentator for ESPN and Pac-12 Network college basketball broadcasts. He routinely served on broadcast crews in Pauley Pavilion, in addition to multiple other Pac-12 basketball venues.
Walton is survived by his wife of 33 years, Lori; his four sons, Adam, Nathan, Luke, and Chris; and his three grandchildren, Olivia, Avery Rose, and Chase. Read full story here.