The member of the Basketball Hall of Fame named Bill Walton died on Monday at the age of 71 due to battle with prolonged cancer. Walton’s life was the remarkable one as he was champion in his high school, college and the NBA. The counterculture of the late 1960s and 1970s has been also embraced by him.
He balanced his life being in different roles as a player, TV analyst, and culture icon as he had connection with both basketball and with the Grateful Dead, Bod Dylan and Neil Young. Adam Silver, NBA commissioner said, Bill Walton was truly one of a kind. I treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered.”
Walton was the most versatile big men to ever play the game and shown his excellence in defense, rebounding, shot-blocking, passing and scoring. He had played in 10 seasons in his NBA career and earned averaged 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game. Due to chronic foot injuries, he missed some seasons such as 1978/79, 1980/81 and 1981/82 seasons. He won two NCCA titles at UCLA under the legendary coach John Wooden. After that he become the first overall pick in 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.