Bill Walton, the infectiously positive basketball player and analyst who became a crossover star in the worlds of sports, broadcasting, and the Grateful Dead alike, died of cancer on Monday according to an official statement from the NBA. He was 71.
“Bill Walton was truly one of a kind,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “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.
“Bill then translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to broadcasting, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans. But what I will remember most about him was his zest for life. He was a regular presence at league events—always upbeat, smiling ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth. I treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered.”
At 6 feet 11 inches tall, Walton cast a long shadow as he rose to prominence as a star center for UCLA in the early 1970s. He was selected as the first overall draft pick in 1974, playing his first five years in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. Over the course of his 14-year professional career, Walton took home two NBA championships including an NBA Finals MVP in 1977 as well as the league MVP the following year and was twice chosen as an all-star, in 1977 and 1978. After retiring from playing, Walton stayed in the game as a sports commentator where his overwhelming enthusiasm for the game made his analysis as entertaining as what was happening on the court. In 1993, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, followed in 2006 by his induction to the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Related: “Bill Walton” Talks Grateful Dead, “Noodler Of Nations” John Mayer On ‘SNL’ [Watch]
Though Walton is widely known for his legendary basketball prowess, he also became a fixture of the Deadhead subculture. A California native, Walton began seeing the Grateful Dead in 1967 and in 2015 claimed to have seen over 850 Dead shows over the course of his life. He traveled with the band to Egypt in 1978 when they played the Great Pyramids. Per a 2015 profile in his local San Diego Union-Tribune, where he was a community leader for years, Walton even said that the band would stay with him when they came to San Diego.
In recent years, Walton joined Dead & Company onstage on a handful of occasions—and has remained a visible head and shoulders above audiences all around the country. His relationship with the band members was a two-way street: they became personal friends, with drummer Mickey Hart even contributing a foreword to Walton’s 1992 spoken-word double album, Men Are Made in the Paint.
“I learned from them about how to become a champion,” Walton told Salon in 2016. “I became the basketball player that I was because of the Grateful Dead. I am the human being that I am today because of the Grateful Dead. They’re right there at the top of my teachers. Their inspiration moved me brightly.”
In 2016, in a remembrance post on the 21st anniversary of Jerry Garcia‘s passing, Walton indicated a number of reasons why he connected so deeply to the late musician—many of which echoed the very reasons why so many people were drawn to Walton over the years: “He was most curious about nearly everything; and more than willing to explore and experiment beyond the edge. Jerry was always able to float seamlessly between so many personalities: from the soft and awestruck freshness of a young child; to the rambunctious wildness and freedom from restraint of unbridled and unconquerable adolescence; to the laser focus and steeled determination of the guy charged with getting things done now; to the wizened sage of the poised, serious and composed master-teacher responsible for everything.”
Related: Watch Bill Walton Cruise In The Furthur Bus With The Merry Pranksters
Walton’s enthusiasm carried over into the post-Garcia era of the Grateful Dead legacy, as well. In an interview from last year, Dead & Company guitarist John Mayer revealed that Walton’s positivity hypes him up for shows, saying “Some of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been given were from Bill Walton.”
“He speaks with this cadence: ‘Go out there. Give it your absolute all. Don’t be shy. They are here to watch you play. Go play to the greatest of your ability,’” Mayer said.
“Some of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been given were from Bill Walton.”
John Mayer on the advice and support Bill has shared with him over the years. #NBAThrowItDown
https://t.co/UQItjT97bj pic.twitter.com/LyxRBd6EVi
— NBA (@NBA) January 31, 2023
May the four winds blow you safely home, Bill. You would have loved the Sphere. We’ll miss you.
The post Bill Walton, Hall Of Fame Basketball Player & Legendary Deadhead, Dies At 71 appeared first on L4LM.
