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Bill Walton really was ‘The Luckiest Guy in the World’
As a basketball-loving kid in the early 1970s, I was not supposed to love Bill Walton.
But I did anyway.
Walton was the most dominant player in college basketball, leading John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins to an 88-game winning streak and back-to-back national championships. The No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, it took him just three seasons to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to its only NBA title in 1976-77.
But where I came from, pulling for Bill Walton was considered taboo. The graceful 6-11 center was that “long-haired hippie” from California who read poetry and didn’t eat meat. By the time he moved to Oregon, he had a scraggly beard, followed the Grateful Dead and was described as “a vegetable garden scarecrow … with the street attire of a lumberjack.”
Even his idol, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another product of the ’60s hippie generation, thought Walton was weird.
“When he was a student, Bill came to see me, and he was all hippied out, man. He had his headband going, and he wasn’t wearing any underwear … ugh,” Kareem said in ESPN’s wonderful Walton documentary, “Luckiest Guy in the World.”
Back home in the South, you didn’t pull for “hippies” like Walton. You pulled for clean-cut, All-American boys like ACC stars Bobby Jones, David Thompson and Wally Walker, one of Walton's future Portland teammates.
But as every basketball fan in America soon learned, Bill Walton was unique—and special. The long hair, colorful headbands and tie-dyed shirts fit his carefree, fun-loving demeanor, an attitude he carried onto the court and throughout his career as one of the greatest TV announcers in basketball history.
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The 1977-78 NBA MVP, Walton was one of the most iconic personalities in sports. When he passed away on May 27 at age 71, tributes flooded social media.
And they came from every corner of the sports and entertainment world, from fellow Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Julius Erving and Larry Bird to celebrities, entertainers and TV announcers.
And, of course, there were hundreds of videos and tributes shared by fans of the Grateful Dead, who called him their “best friend” and “biggest fan.”
Walton loved music almost as much as basketball and life. He had rooms in his home dedicated to the Grateful Dead and Dead memorabilia, including Mickey Hart's drum set and some of the colorful tie-dyes and costumes he wore to Dead shows.
Whether you knew him from basketball, concerts or as a TV announcer, everyone loved Walton. He was one of the most honest and genuine characters in sports. He didn’t care about stats or money. To him, basketball and sports—and life—were about winning and playing the game the right way.
“Bill’s mentality was to win everything, and he was pretty spoiled because at UCLA, they won everything,” said Bird, who teamed with Walton to lead the Boston Celtics to the 1985-86 NBA title.
Walton’s engaging and captivating personality was truly larger than life. Sports fans everywhere loved seeing him and listening to him, whether he was towering above the crowd at a Grateful Dead concert, signing autographs at the National Sports Collectors Convention or pontificating about the cosmic universe and its impact on sports.
When they turned on his broadcast mic, you never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. He was known for wild, rambling, thought-provoking tales and commentaries that often left you spellbound.
One of my favorite videos shared this week was of Walton calling a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and LA Angels. Wearing a White Sox cap and a tie-dyed shirt, he reflected on his longest home run as only Walton could.
“When they bring that high hard one in, I stand in and lean back and then just, bam, and it sails away, out through the universe, like a radio wave that goes past Saturn and Jupiter, Pluto, through the Black Hole and many other galaxies yet named.”
In the collectibles world, Walton was always a big draw at card and autograph shows and his 1974 Topps rookie card is one of the most popular basketball cards on the market.
His passion for life was fueled by the lessons he learned from Wooden, his mentor and another iconic personality.
Throughout his life, Walton constantly shared advice and philosophies from Wooden, many which are even more relevant today.
“When everyone thinks alike, nobody thinks … it’s OK to disagree, just don’t be disagreeable … it’s not how big you are, it’s how big you play … .”
And his favorite: “It’s the things you learn after you know it all that count.”
When the young, philosophical Walton would challenge his legendary head coach, Wooden would remind him of what’s most important.
“It’s not about stuff … it’s about training your mind to be a champion in everything that you do … and making sacrifices for the greater goals of the team.”
A two-time NBA champion, Bill Walton was the ultimate team player. He lived life to the fullest, played the game the right way, and touched numerous lives along the way.
In many ways, he really was the “Luckiest Guy In The World.”
— Jeff Owens is the editor of Sports Collectors Digest. You can reach him at jowens@aimmedia.com.
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Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
