Bill Walton, Legendary Basketball Hall of Famer, Dies at 71 Years Old

Basketball legend Bill Walton has passed away at the age of 71 after a prolonged fight with cancer, the NBA has announced on behalf of his family. Walton was a star player during the John Wooden era at UCLA before becoming a Hall of Famer in the NBA. The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver released a statement saying, “Bill Walton was truly one of a kind”. He was the NBA's MVP in the 1977-78 season and a member of the league's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. That all followed a college career in which he was a two-time champion at UCLA and a three-time national player of the year.

Current head coach of the UCLA Bruins, Mick Cronin spoke to ESPN when the news about Walton was released, "As a passionate UCLA alumnus and broadcaster, he loved being around our players, hearing their stories and sharing his wisdom and advice. For me as a coach, he was honest, kind, and always had his heart in the right place. I will miss him very much. It's hard to imagine a season in Pauley Pavilion without him". After retiring from playing professional basketball, Walton turned to broadcasting. He joined ESPN in 2002 as a lead analyst for the NBA before switching to college basketball in 2012. He is known for his unique clothing styles when on-air, notably wearing Grateful Dead T-shirts and occasionally mixing in some tie-dyed T-shirts. 

Walton’s most famous collegiate game was the 1973 NCAA title game, UCLA versus Memphis, where he shot 21 for 22 from the floor and led the Bruins to another national championship under Wooden. His 44 points led him to his second straight nomination for Most Outstanding Player. With the PAC-12 evaporating from the college landscape, Walton has now died with the “Conference of Champions”. He is survived by his wife Lori and sons Adam, Nate, Chris, and Luke - a former NBA player and now a coach.