Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
A basketball double-header featuring San Diego State, UC San Diego and the University of San Diego will be held in November to honor the late Bill Walton, organizers announced Wednesday. The National University Bill Walton Classic will be held at Pechanga Arena on Nov. 7, according to Sports San Diego. The sports-focused tourism group made the announcement on the court of Walton's alma mater, Helix High School.
You’ve said it in the book and repeatedly elsewhere that the ’86 team is the greatest of all time. Obviously, they had talent with you, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and Bill Walton just joined the team. But why does that team have the edge over the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls or the Golden State Warriors during their championship runs? Robert Parish: “Bill Walton. The league did not have an answer for William. Nobody had an answer for William. I felt like that was the difference maker. The Bulls and the Warriors couldn’t do anything with Bill Walton coming off the bench. We had an MVP coming off the bench. [Bill] Wennington or Luc Longley would’ve had their hands full. William was a tough, tough cover. The Golden State Warriors do it collectively with their defensive strategy and don’t depend on individual defense. Still, I just don’t see how anybody can deal with that. I think Bill Walton was like Moses Malone. You couldn’t quite figure them out. There is something about the way he plays the game and the way he goes about his business with getting it done. Playing against a left-handed ball player kind of throws your rhythm off a little bit. Those two guys messed my rhythm up with that style of play. That’s the best way I can describe it.”
Can you go into detail how what the matchup would’ve looked like between the ’86 Celtics team against the 95-96 Bulls and against the Warriors with Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala? Robert Parish: “Those teams mirrored how we played. There was a lot of ball movement and a lot of body movement. There was solid coaching. That’s where it starts with the coaching. Every great team mirrors the coaching philosophy. I think it would’ve been exciting. It would’ve been physical, too. If we had the same rules that we had back then when we were active players, it would be a more physical ball game. There would be a lot more contact and less freedom of movement. I think that would add to the allure of the two teams competing. I like the fact that the officials would let the players decide the outcome of the ball game, not the officials making calls that they should not have called. They would just let it go and let us play. Those are the best officials. They let the teams decide the outcome of the ball game. That’s how we would’ve been adjudicated. They would let us decide who is going to win. The reason why I keep going back to Bill Walton – look at the center position with those championship teams. Think about Bill Walton’s MVP season. Those guys are in trouble. Every other position, you can see it’s a wash. But when William comes in the ball game, that’s the difference, in my opinion. Even the Lakers, as long as they were, did not have an answer for Bill Walton.”
Robert Parish I’d played with three of the baddest men ever: Larry (Bird), Kevin (McHale), and William (Bill Walton). So, I wasn’t genuflecting to Michael Jordan. He’s a badass man, don’t get me wrong. But I balled with some of the best, too. After practice, the media of course made more out of it than it was. Just a little talk during a scrimmage between two guys who really respected each other. Along with barking back at MJ here and there, my real job on the team was to be a veteran to some of the young guys, like Dickie Simpkins and Jason Caffey. I took them under my wing. But really they took me under theirs! Those guys had me doing things I’d never done before. Like go to a gentleman’s club.
“The Personal Collection of Bill Walton,” which launched yesterday and will be open for online bidding through June 11, has much of what any Walton fan would expect. There are jerseys from his UCLA and Trail Blazers years, his 1986 Boston Celtics championship ring, his 1970 passport, commemorative championship watches, and other items.
Advertisement
But the auction’s catalog also features 16 pages devoted to souvenirs from his years in Deadland. Among the goodies are limited-edition prints of the Europe ’72 front and back album covers signed by artist Stanley Mouse ($500 to $1,000); 13 tour books dating back to 1986 (listing itineraries, hotels where the band members were staying, and other workaday information, $250 to $500 total); the “Uncle Sam skeleton” artwork used in The Grateful Dead Movie ($500 to $1,000); and a drum cymbal autographed by the band’s Eighties lineup, including Brent Mydland ($5,000 to $7,500). (Jerry Garcia’s sense of humor is seen in his inscription: “Hey Bill! Beat this.”)
During an appearance on NBA on TNT on Tuesday night, Pritchard opened up about his achievement while talking with Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. “I mean, it's just a lot of people in the Celtics organization,” Pritchard said when asked what it's like to be the latest Boston player to win the award that is also named after one of the greatest players of the franchise. “Obviously, John Havlicek being named…Kevin McHale. Obviously, a couple of other guys, Malcolm Brogdon. When I was here with him, I watched him win it. Yeah, Bill Walton. So, yeah, this is definitely an honor.”
Michael Scotto: Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is the 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He’s the fourth Celtic to win the award, joining Kevin McHale, Bill Walton and Malcolm Brogdon. He had the most points off the bench (1,079). He set an NBA single-season record for threes off the bench (246) pic.x.com/IiQ1ti3qBe
Omari Sankofa II: Blazers will honor Bill Walton tonight with Luke Walton in attendance on the Pistons’ bench. JB Bickerstaff: “I hope our guys appreciate and understand how important Bill Walton was to the game and to the world … it wasn’t just his basketball game that made him unique.”
Yet to those who didn’t live through the Dončić experience — the front office executives, coaches and scouts who would love nothing more than to get their hands on a player of his ilk — all these justifications for the trade simply don’t compute. This is the NBA, where ego management has always been part of the equation and choir boys are hard to come by. Talent isn’t the end-all-be-all, but Dončić’s type — the transcendent kind — is so rare that it should be given every opportunity to be maximized. That’s how it was for the likes of Allen Iverson, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Walton and Larry Bird — all elite players who had their warts. That list is undeniably long, with very few able to meet the sort of standard set by Bryant or his idol, Michael Jordan (who had off-court issues of his own). As one league source put it while discussing these sorts of players, “You manage.”
Advertisement
Hours before playing in the NBA All-Star Game, Stephen Curry’s voice cracked during the NBA Legends Brunch on Sunday morning when he took the podium to “honor the memories of those we lost this year.” Amidst giving posthumous honor to the likes of Al Attles, Bill Walton and Jerry West, the Golden State Warriors superstar paid respect to Dikembe Mutombo, who died Sept. 30, 2024. “Dikembe was an eight-time All-Star and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year,” Curry said. “Dikembe’s trademark finger wag after blocking a shot was the exact opposite of his selfless and welcoming nature off the court. Dikembe was a true global ambassador and humanitarian.”
[Lune] LeBron: "I miss Bill Walton. He was always a fan of mine, always kept it real with me, and always appreciated my game. He wasn’t one of those old-school haters that we have in the NBA"
Here’s a close-up of the Bill Walton patch the Blazers will be wearing all season: pic.twitter.com/T2o3fEF6Gf
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) September 30, 2024
The Portland Trail Blazers will honor late Rip City legend Bill Walton with a band on their jerseys throughout the 2024-25 season. Walton passed away on May 27 at the age of 71. All of Portland’s jerseys will feature a uniquely Walton tie-dye band along the top of the left side with his “32” number in white. Fans can purchase tickets to the Bill Walton Tribute Night game HERE. A legend as vibrant and memorable as Walton deserves a fitting band, and the unique band that will don Trail Blazers jerseys this season accomplishes just that.