Miriam
Rafferty
Photo by Miriam Rafferty: Left, Bill Walton at La Mesa's 100th anniversary celebration in 2012. Right, Walton at the Boys & Girls Club of La Mesa in 2014.
May 27, 2024 (LA MESA) — NBA Hall of Famer and former Helix High School superstar Bill Walton, 71, passed away this morning.Walton died surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer. One of the greatest basketball players of all time, Walton later became an award-winning sportscaster, but he also won hearts in the La Mesa community through his philanthropic efforts, including raising millions of dollars to build the Bill Walton Gym at the Boys & Girls Club of La Mesa, where he coached as a youth.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement calling Walton “truly one of a kind. As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position. His unique all-around skills made him a dominant force at UCLA, leading to NBA regular season and Finals MVP awards, two NBA championships and a spot in the NBA's Top 50.”Number And 75Number “Anniversary Team.” As an announcer, Walton overcame a lifelong stutter to provide “insightful, colorful commentary that has entertained generations of basketball fans,” Silver said.
He added: “What I remember most about him was his passion for life. He was a regular attendee at league events, always cheerful, smiling broadly and eager to share his wisdom and warmth.” Silver envied Walton's “boundless energy and the time he spent with everyone he met.”
Born Nov. 5, 1952, Walton loved sports from an early age. As a boy, he would watch the San Diego Chargers play at Sunset Park near Lake Murray. “I watched those players and dreamed,” he said at a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club gym that now bears his name.
Remembering Mento
Walton reflected on how the ring he won there has been passed down to generations of young people, and before high-fiving and signing autographs with each child in attendance, he said, “I'm inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs Hall of Fame. I really am the luckiest guy in the world.”
Walton added, “Great leaders inspire pride and loyalty. Loyalty is a human trait that allows us to come together as a community and be part of a team. And as a result of caring about what's going on, we recognize that what we have is something very special. It's not about us, it's about these young kids here, full of dreams and hopes, with these amazing smiles.”
Listen to audio of Walton's speech at the La Mesa Boys and Girls Club in 2014.
Walton, No. 33, Class of 1970, of Helix High School, led his team to two consecutive CIF championships. He was selected to the U.S. Men's Senior National Basketball Team and became the first and only high school player in history to play in a World Championship and the Olympics. He was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame.
At UCLA, he led the team to two NCAA championships, helped the team win 88 consecutive games and was named NCAA Player of the Year. 
He was named the NBA Player of the Year three consecutive seasons (1972-74). A scholar-athlete, he earned a bachelor's degree in history cum laude from UCLA and then attended Stanford Law School.
His professional career in the NBA included stints with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics, with the latter winning another championship title in 1986. He also played for the San Diego Clippers and Los Angeles Clippers. He has received numerous honors, including NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Playoffs MVP. Walton was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.
Named one of the top 50 sportscasters of all time by the American Sportscasters Association, Walton has worked as a sports commentator for CBGS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, Fox and MSNBC, winning an Emmy Award for broadcasting in 2001. He also participated in baseball camps and clinics.
He's also dabbled in show business, appearing in films like Ghostbusters, and is a motivational business speaker who teaches executives what they can learn from his favorite band, the Grateful Dead, and was named one of Forbes magazine's top 10 critics in America in 2007.
Walton played drums in the Electric Waste Band, a local dance band that played music by Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Walton also served as chairman of Connect SD Sports Innovators, a non-profit organization that supports emerging sports businesses. Today, the band posted on their Facebook page: “WWe are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, fellow rock singer and hero, Bill. We loved Bill dearly and that love will never fade. It was such an honor to know him and his family, to be a part of his world and to have him in the EWB family. We were so glad to have him play for us. It is obviously a great loss for the Grateful Dead community and the sports world. He overcame hardships in life and came out on top so many times. He will be in our hearts forever. It's an inspiration on how to live life and keep moving forward.”
He served on the board of directors of the Junior Seau Foundation and was an avid supporter of the YMCA. He served as a founding board member of the Heartland Foundation/Heartland Coalition, publishers of East County Magazine.
Walton headlined East County Magazine's “Summerfest” fundraiser, where his generous spirit shone through. When he arrived by bicycle, he realized he'd left some autographed memorabilia in the silent auction. Undaunted, he auctioned the items without seeing them in person, personally delivered them to the winning bidder's home, and spent the afternoon playing basketball with the family's young sons.
A giant of a man, standing 6 feet 11 inches tall, Bill Walton was larger than life to all who knew him and a local hero in every sense of the word, and his remarkable life was the subject of a documentary film titled “The Luckiest Man in the World.”
(Right: BWalton photo (2014, ECM editor Miriam Rafferty)
Walton is survived by his wife of 33 years, Lori, his four sons, Adam, Nathan, Luke and Chris, and three grandchildren, Olivia, Avery Rose and Chase. His son Luke also followed in his footsteps. The team is the only one in which father and son have each won multiple NBA championships.
In 2008, Walton was afflicted with a devastating spinal cord injury caused by a past injury. Unable to walk, he spent the next three years crawling from room to room around the house. A groundbreaking surgical procedure finally freed him from excruciating pain and he fought his way to a full recovery. His struggles are described in his book, ” Returned from the dead.
Despite the trials he's faced and the challenges he's overcome, Walton writes in his book, “I've had the greatest adventures and lived the most amazing life imaginable.”
