Looking back at Bill Walton and his journey from a Blazer to broadcaster, and all the weirdness that surrounds him.
Bill Walton was one of the greatest players to ever wear a Portland jersey. He was tremendous for the Blazers in the 1970s and was key in getting Portland a title.
If you look back at his stats, from basketball-reference.com, he averaged 12-18 points per game throughout his four years in Portland.
Another area Walton dominated was rebounding. He averaged 12-14 rebounds per game in his four seasons.
Overall, he was a player that took care of the ball and was a team player. Personally, I really enjoy his game, and it’s easy to wish his career was not cut short because of injury.
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Bill Walton the Bruin
Walton’s journey to greatness began at UCLA. He became a tremendous leader on the court and helped lead them to two titles.
Off the court, he learned under one of the greatest coaches to ever be part of the game: John Wooden.
Coach Wooden coached players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and was used to title chases, so Walton being so coachable helped the two be successful together.
Lots of players nowadays are hard to coach and have a hard time taking criticism. More players should embody Walton: taking criticism to learn the game and help his team get better.
Bill Walton the broadcaster
Bill is a unique guy. He’s one of my favorite commentators because he just does not care what people think of him.
He’s done work with the PAC-12, as well as ESPN. He even joined the ESPN broadcast as a guest last season when the Blazers honored the 40th anniversary of their 1977 team.
Many people have a hard time understanding exactly how he functions because he does things much more differently than most people do.
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But nothing’s wrong with the way he acts; he shows a love for life that is really unseen from people.
He can also analyze the game tremendously, probably from his Portland days and influence from Coach Wooden.
Let’s be thankful he was around to be an integral part of the 1977 championship team, as Portland hasn’t seen a championship since.