Famed UCLA and NBA basketball champion Bill Walton died Monday, according to NBA officials. He was 71 years old.
Walton, whose death came after a long battle with cancer, was a Southern California sports hero who played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national college player of the year awards from 1972 to 1974 while helping lead UCLA to the NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973.
Selected as the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft, Walton then led the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. He won another NBA title in 1986 as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
“Bill Walton was truly one of a kind. As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position. His unique all-around skills made him a dominant force at UCLA and led to an NBA regular-season and Finals MVP, two NBA championships and a spot on the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated on Monday.
Walton later became an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster.
“Bill translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to broadcasting, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans,” Silver said.
Walton was born on Nov. 5, 1952, in La Mesa, where he grew up and played basketball at Helix High School. The San Diego resident is survived by his wife Lori and sons Adam, Nate, Luke and Chris, according to the NBA.