The basketball world is in mourning. American Bill Walton, double NBA champion and legend of the North American league, died Monday at the age of 71, the NBA announced.
Walton, who worked extensively in television after his career, died “after a long battle with cancer,” the league wrote in a statement.
Matches with Larry Bird
Former pivot, Walton had brought happiness to the Portland Trailblazers (from 1974 to 1979) with an NBA title in 1977, the only one in the history of the franchise, before joining the Clippers (in San Diego from 1979 to 1984 then in Los Angeles in 1984-1985), and finally the Boston Celtics (1985-1988) for a new title in 1986 alongside another legend: Larry Bird.
A college star with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Walton was drafted first overall in 1974. A huge player (2.11 m) and dominant under the rim, with a headband to keep his long red hair in his As a youth, Walton averaged 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in his 468 NBA games. He was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1977-1978 regular season.
After his retirement from sports, Bill Walton served as a consultant for nineteen years (1990-2009) for various channels, including CBS, NBC and ESPN. Family success in basketball has also become a family tradition. His son Luke Walton played 564 games in the NBA between 2003 and 2013 and also won two NBA titles, with the Los Angeles Lakers (2009 and 2010).
Barack Obama’s tribute
Tributes multiplied on Monday, the “Memorial Day” holiday in the United States for tributes to members of the armed forces who died in combat. “Jokic is talked about as the most gifted center, but Walton was first,” former Lakers star Earvin “Magic” Johnson wrote on incredible, he was one of the smartest players. Bill was a great ambassador for college basketball and the NBA. »
A basketball fan, former President Barack Obama also paid tribute to the Californian: “Bill Walton was one of the greatest players of all time, a champion at every level, the embodiment of the team player focused on others. He was also a superb mind full of curiosity, humor and gentleness. »