"I remember when he protested the Vietnam War": Jamaal Wilkes shares unknown Bill Walton, Jerry West stories (Exclusive)
Just when his pain began to heal, Jamaal Wilkes then experienced more grief.
Within a 2 ½ week span, Wilkes has mourned the loss over both his former UCLA teammate (Bill Walton) and his former Los Angeles Lakers coach and executive (Jerry West). On May 27, Walton died at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer. On Wednesday, West died at the age of 86 with his wife, Karen, by his side.
“I’ve been so saddened,” Wilkes told Sportskeeda.
Jamaal Wilkes speaks on Jerry West, Bill Walton deaths
In a wide-ranging interview, Wilkes reflected on Walton as both a dominant center and a social activist and on West as a demanding coach and an observant executive.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.
I’m so sorry about your loss with Bill and Jerry in such a short time in between. What have they meant to you?
Jamaal Wilkes: “Bill’s passing overwhelmed me. I was the last person to talk to him. I found out on Saturday [May 25]. One of his sons told me he was in the hospital. I was just shocked. I spoke to him on Sunday afternoon with his wife, and then he passed on Monday morning [May 27]. That’s how it all happened, and then thinking about our history together over 55 years, I was at a loss for words. With Jerry, what can you say? I played for him as a coach with the Lakers my first two years. I’ve heard him say he was going through a very difficult period. So it’s been tough. What I remember most about him are a few things. We had a few chats occasionally. He was a real mentor and role model. Being at UCLA, we were very visible. But we were kind of protected. With the Lakers, we were on our own. He would always talk to me about learning how to handle myself in public and watching who I was with. I really learned a lot from him on how to be a professional. I remember I was 30 years old. He came out on the floor. It was just he and me out on the floor. I’d see him around, but I had never been on the court with him one-on-one talking basketball. I realize what the essence of what he was showing me were the essence of the drills that we did at UCLA. Those two things, I remember about him most. He had an unbelievable career as a player and brilliant career as an executive. He’ll be missed.”
You’re linked with Bill and Jerry in a unique way. You have your UCLA jersey retired with Bill. You have your Lakers jersey retired with Jerry. What does that connection mean to you?
Jamaal Wilkes: “When we were sophomores at UCLA, we used to sneak in the Forum to watch the great team they had in 1972 with Bill Sharman as the coach with Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston and Jerry West. I truly enjoyed him as a youngster growing up. So from that point of view, it means everything. Then to work with him and for him and getting to know him professionally, I’m very proud of that association. It’s the pinnacle. With Bill Walton, it’s the same, but it’s very different. We were there with each other at the beginning. We went through a lot of turns along the way. It was an honor to have known him and to have been his teammate. In that light, it’s a privilege to have my UCLA jersey retired with his.”
In what ways did Jerry impact you?
Jamaal Wilkes: “When he was an executive, there were just passing moments like a pass here or a nudge there. I didn’t really have day-to-day contact with him then. There wasn’t a lot of contact other than acknowledgement and making sure you’re all on the right track. But playing for him as a coach was intense, really intense. He would get frustrated because things may have come easily for him. He couldn’t understand why things couldn’t come easily for others. It could be tough. But we weren’t winning championships then. We couldn’t get past Denver and Seattle. We always lost in the first round.”
He was always known for having a sharp eye for talent and knowing how it fit into the roster. What view did you have of that up close?
Jamaal Wilkes: “He did that consistently too everywhere he went with the Lakers, Memphis, Golden State and the Clippers. He never talked about himself or what he was doing. He was clandestine about it. He was very professional.”
What about when he traded you [in 1985]? How did that affect you?
Jamaal Wilkes: “It was tough. It takes two or three years to defrost. But eventually you come around to it. It is a business. There are other interests and life goes on. But the bottom line for me is that I was just grateful to have had the experience with him, to know him and to have worked with him. We certainly weren’t best of friends, but we had a healthy and mutual respect. I learned a lot from him, especially with how to be a professional and dealing with the temptations all around. He would check up on me. After a while, it was like the guy was getting in my business. But I understand that it was just that he cared. It was his way of showing that he cared. He was just trying to look out for me. It became easier after that. But the first couple of times, I was like, ‘Okay, what’s going on?’ I’m an adult. But it was great advice and good advice, and I listened.”
What was that advice?
Jamaal Wilkes: “First that comes to mind is to be careful and follow the old saying that ‘the birds of a feather flock together.’ It was about being careful who you’re seeing. People always come up wanting autographs or wanting to talk or saying they know this person or that person. Back in those days, we were more receptive to fans because we were trying to sell basketball. They’re always offering you to go somewhere or offering you something. So it was things along those lines that he was stressing to be mindful of what could be going on.”
What did Bill mean to you as a teammate and afterwards?
Jamaal Wilkes: “I remember the first couple weeks of school our freshman year, I saw Bill on campus. He had this souped-up bicycle (laughs). He asked me if I liked it. We both come from working class areas. So we were both shy and reserved. I said, ‘Yeah, yeah!’ The next time I saw him, he told me where to get a bike and they’d take care of it. I didn’t ask him who. I just went down and got my bike (laughs). It was nicer than his. He was so passionate about whatever he sunk his teeth into. He went all the way with it. He didn’t mean any harm, but he ruffled a lot of feathers along the way. But that’s just who he was. It was cool and fun to be around him, especially when he was fired up and it was something that I was also fired up about."
"But he could go on his tangents. I remember when he protested [the Vietnam war] on Wilshire Blvd. He said, ‘Come on man, let’s go.’ I said, ‘Where?’ He said, ‘Let’s go down to Wilshire Blvd.’ I was like, ‘You’re going to do what?! He said, ‘Don’t you believe that what we’re doing there [in Vietnam] is wrong?’ I said, ‘I do, but I’ll let them take care of it. My mother would kill me if I got arrested.’ But that is the kind of guy he was. When he caught onto something, he just went ‘Boom.’ But his talent on the floor speaks for itself. That Memphis State game [in the 1973 championship game] was really something to be in the game and to be watching as a spectator at the same time. It was an incredible effort.”
Where do you rank that performance in college basketball history?
Jamaal Wilkes: “It’s awfully high because I was there (laughs). I was on the floor. There have been other equally outstanding performances. But I would put it right at the top and near the top.”
I read that you were surprised that Memphis State was playing straight up and that you also still teased Bill for missing some free throws.
Jamaal Wilkes: “Yeah, that’s right (laughs). Memphis State was a great team. They not only played him one-on-one. They fronted him. But Greg Lee had like 14 assists and Larry Hollyfield had nine assists. They were salivating. Memphis State never caught on to change that. He was a great teammate. To this day, he was the only player I’ve seen that can go grab a rebound in midair and fire it to midcourt in one motion. Bill did a lot of things well. But in my opinion, that’s what set him apart at UCLA. He was the best. You had to bring your ‘A’ game. When he was underneath the basket, you were always looking out for him. He loved to block shots. He jumped from his calves. He could get up quickly. He was a great teammate if you liked winning and playing basketball. He was a student of the game. Even if he was 5-foot-10, he could’ve played basketball at a really high level.”
So to clarify, you never went out to protest with him?
Jamaal Wilkes: “No, I left.”
What did you think at least then that Bill was an athlete who wanted to speak out on social justice issues and be an ally for the Civil Rights movement?
Jamaal Wilkes: “Well put. He always had a humanitarian slant. It came across in different ways. I don’t like to use the term ‘hippie,’ but he was in that era. He was more interested in making peace than war, and he was concerned about human injustices. He was very smart and well read. He wasn’t about corporate America. Some guys are so focused on corporate America, and they can’t think about anything else. But he was unusual in that way.”
What impact do you think he made?
Jamaal Wilkes: “Once he learned how to talk, which was another awesome feat that he worked so hard to overcome that. Not only did he overcome it. But he became a Hall-of-Fame broadcaster. He went through that transition. I know along the way, he had about 36 surgeries. But it morphed into being an ambassador for basketball and being an ambassador for good will and spreading joy in the world. Not everyone liked him or cared for him. And same thing with his broadcasting style. But his intentions were always about bringing joy.”
With both his on-court play and his protests, what was Bill’s dynamic like with Coach [John] Wooden?
Jamaal Wilkes: “Coach Wooden certainly respected other views, including Bill’s. He didn’t necessarily agree, and he would express that. This is just my opinion. But Coach might have wished that Bill did less of those protests and kept his views on various issues quiet.”
What gave you that impression?
Jamaal Wilkes: “Absolutely, there was big-time respect. In Coach Wooden’s program, it was all about respecting everyone. So there was no problem. It was just that socially they had different views. When Bill’s views, in Coach’s mind, started to impinge on the team, then that was when he would speak up. It was like the hair-cut incident. That became an issue for the rest of the team because everyone had to keep their hair short.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider with Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.