Bill Walton on the Boards - George Thomas Clark

Bill Walton on the Boards

May 28, 2024

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The great Bill Walton has passed away, you may have heard, and like me, you probably didn’t know he’d long been ill with prostate cancer. I became a fan of Walton right after he emerged from Helix High School near San Diego and led UCLA to two NCAA titles, in 1972 and 1973, and the Bruins also won (a still record) eighty-eight straight games during his tenure. Then, in the NBA, despite early signs of structurally weak feet, he passed and rebounded and shot blocked the Portland Trailblazers over the Philadelphia 76ers and Julius Erving to win the 1977 title.

The following season Walton keyed a smooth and dominant Portland team winning at record pace until he sustained a foot injury and then missed hundreds of games and underwent many surgeries but played a decade more. He performed well though not like the leaping seven-footer born for hoops. Despite all, he added muscle and won sixth man of the year for 1986 champion Boston Celtics where he supplemented Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, and blended with Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, forming what is still one of the best teams ever.

Whether one knew Bill Walton or enjoyed him on TV, he this sad day is celebrated as a bright and vibrant and insightful man who loved to travel with The Grateful Dead and had wives and children and made people happy with spirit as well as talent.

Bill Walton Hits 21-22 Field Goal Attempts in Win Over Memphis State for 1973 NCAA Title

Posted in Basketball, Bill Walton, Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers

George Thomas Clark

George Thomas Clark is the author of Hitler Here, a biographical novel published in India and the Czech Republic as well as the United States. His commentaries for GeorgeThomasClark.com are read in more than 50 countries a month.

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