Offensive Game
Dominant scorer in the paint with exceptional footwork, soft touch, and post moves refined under John Wooden at UCLA. Never a high-volume scorer by design — his team-first philosophy kept his numbers below his ceiling.
Career Journey
Bill Walton played center like a point guard stuck in a big man's body — a high-post passing hub whose outlet feeds and soft touch reshaped what the position could be. After two national titles and an 88-game winning streak at UCLA, he delivered Portland its only championship in 1977, taking Finals MVP, then won the league MVP the next season. Chronic foot injuries stole what should have been his prime, yet the basketball mind never dimmed: he reinvented himself as the 1986 Sixth Man of the Year on a Boston team that won it all. A Hall of Famer who became one of broadcasting's most joyful voices, Walton died in May 2024 at 71 after a battle with cancer. He is remembered as much for his generosity of spirit as for his brilliance on the floor.
Offensive Game
Dominant scorer in the paint with exceptional footwork, soft touch, and post moves refined under John Wooden at UCLA. Never a high-volume scorer by design — his team-first philosophy kept his numbers below his ceiling.
Defensive Game
One of the greatest defensive centers in NBA history. His shot-blocking, positioning, and help-side instincts were the defensive engine of the 1977 champion Blazers. The 8 blocks in Game 6 of the 1977 Finals remains a Finals record.
All articles
Maurice Lucas averaged 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in the 1977 NBA Finals, providing the physical dominance that allowed Bill Walton to be Bill Walton. His #20 honors the enforcer who turned Portland into champions.
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
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Portland Trail Blazers
1974-1979
Los Angeles Clippers
1979-1985
Boston Celtics
1985-1987
1977 NBA champion & Finals MVP
The No. 1 overall pick in 1974, he led Portland to its first and only title, earning Finals MVP as the two-way fulcrum.
1978 NBA Most Valuable Player
The season after his championship, he was named league MVP — basketball's premier two-way center when healthy.
1986 Sixth Man of the Year & champion
After foot injuries derailed his prime, he remade himself as an elite reserve on the 1986 Celtics, winning both the award and a second ring.
Hall of Famer & broadcasting icon
A two-time NCAA champion at UCLA under John Wooden, he became a beloved broadcaster; he died in May 2024 at age 71.
Intangibles
A student of the game under John Wooden's system at UCLA, Walton's basketball intelligence was generational. His understanding of spacing, timing, and team concepts made him the ideal center for Jack Ramsay's system.
Personal Life & Family
Partner
Lori Walton
Children (4)
Parents & Siblings
Off the Court
The Bill Walton Foundation — youth basketball and education programs
Advocacy for the Grateful Dead and counterculture music community
Tireless advocate for patients suffering from chronic pain conditions, sharing openly about his own decades of suffering
Did You Know?
Walton's 19.0 rebounds per game average in the 1977 NBA Finals remains one of the most extraordinary statistical achievements in Finals history — a record that reflects not just his physical gifts but his positioning, anticipation, and absolute dominance of the paint
He is one of very few players who won a championship at every level: high school, college (twice), and the NBA — and he won all of them with teams that played the kind of unselfish, system-first basketball he dedicated his career to promoting
Walton overcame a severe stutter throughout his life, eventually becoming one of the most beloved and colorful television broadcasters in NBA and college basketball — known for his enthusiastic, idiosyncratic commentary style
His son Luke Walton played in the NBA and became an NBA head coach — making Bill one of the only players in history whose family legacy includes both a championship player and a head coach
Career Honors
NBA Champion (Portland Trail Blazers, 1977)
1977 NBA Finals MVP
1978 NBA MVP
1986 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1993)
2x NCAA National Champion (UCLA 1972, 1973)
Portland Trail Blazers #32 retired
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Bill Walton's 1977 NBA Finals performance — 19.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 8 blocks per game — remains the most dominant individual championship series in Portland history. Here's why #32 belongs in the rafters forever.
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