Bill Walton college career: 2X National champ's illustrious UCLA records, achievements and more
Bill Walton, Hall of Famer and well-known announcer, died Monday at 71 after a long battle with cancer. His college basketball career at UCLA under coach John Wooden is considered one of the greatest in the sport’s history.
Bill Walton played for the UCLA Bruins from 1971 to 1974 and led them to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973. He averaged 21.1 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, leading them to a 30-0 season.
In his junior year, he guided his team to a 30-0 season, averaging 20.4 points and 16.9 rebounds per game. In the 1973 championship game against Memphis State, Walton had 44 points and made 21-of-22 field goal attempts.
In 87 games in his college career, he shot 65.1%, averaging 20.3 points, 15.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. His teams achieved an outstanding 86-4 record during his tenure.
Walton was a three-time recipient of the USBWA College Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year awards, from 1972 to 1974. He also won the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award in 1973 as the top amateur athlete in the United States.
He was an Academic All-American each year from 1972 to 1974. Walton's senior season capped his illustrious college career, leading UCLA to a 27-0 record and averaging 19.3 points, 14.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
Bill Walton's resilient NBA journey
After a stellar college career at UCLA, Bill Walton was the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he missed his first two seasons due to various injuries, including sprained ankles, broken wrists, dislocated toes and fingers and a leg injury from a jeep accident.
In the 1976-77 season, Bill Walton, under new coach Jack Ramsay, led the league in rebounds (14.4 per game) and blocks (3.2 per game), earning spots on the NBA All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA Second Team.
Walton led the Trail Blazers to an improbable NBA Finals victory over the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers, winning the NBA Finals MVP with averages of 18.5 points, 19.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.7 blocks per game.
The 1977-78 season was Walton's best statistically, winning the NBA MVP award with averages of 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. However, foot issues limited him to 58 games, and he missed the entire 1978-79 season.
In 1985, he joined the Boston Celtics. In the 1985-86 campaign, Walton played a career-high 80 games, averaging 7.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
He was a two-time NBA champion, one-time NBA MVP, one-time NBA Finals MVP, two-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection.