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The passing of Bill Walton on May 27 led to scores of players, journalists and fans recounting their best memories of the late Hall of Famer. Perhaps none of those stories had the kind of life-altering ramifications as Rick Carlisle’s.
The Pacers head coach, who spent two years as Walton’s teammate on the Celtics in 1985 and 1987, recounted a story of Walton assisting him on his first date with his now-wife, Donna. Carlisle revealed he wanted to take Donna to a Grateful Dead concert he didn’t have the tickets for. He would call Walton, a renowned Deadhead, for help.
“I have him to thank, probably, also for me being married to my wife, Donna,” Carlisle said on May 27 ahead of his Pacers’ Game 4 playoffs game against the Celtics. “Our first date was to a Dead show in Washington, D.C. I called Bill and, this is 1987, I said, ‘Look, I got a date with a girl who I think is pretty cool. I’d love to go to the Dead show at the Capital Centre. I don’t have any tickets. Can you help?'”
According to Carlisle, Walton told him to “go to the back door, “ask for Dennis McNally [Grateful Dead’s publicist] and introduce himself as a Celtics player.
Bill Walton Came Through
Carlisle did as instructed. He drove to the back of the arena with Donna, told his date to wait near the door and went to find McNally. The sequence of events caused her to question if he truly had tickets.
“The whole thing ended up working out,” Carlisle recalled. “I walked up the loading dock ramp with two all-access laminates [passes] — one read Bill Walton and the other Susie Walton. So, we were set up for the show, and we were on stage watching the show. During the break, we kinda wandered into the back, opened up a door, and ended up sitting down with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Mickey Hart for about 15 minutes.”
“It was an unbelievable night, and obviously, it’s a good first date,” Carlisle continued. “So, I’m thankful to him. I know there’s been a lot of talk today [May 27] about what he meant to the whole world — to me, he was a living, breathing, event in history just walking around.”
Carlisle then pointed to Walton’s many adventures — from playing the drums for the Grateful Dead at the Pyramids in Egypt to influencing sports and pop culture.
“He was a guy who did everything,” Carlisle said of Walton. “There’s been a lot of talk today about how he speaks in hyperbole and stuff, but he just defiantly competed for every moment in life to be the greatest it could possibly be — that’s the best way to describe it.”
Other Celtics Remember Bill Walton
Carlisle was among several former Celtics who paid homage to Walton after news broke of the legendary big man’s passing.
Larry Bird, who won a championship with Walton in 1986, issued the following statement, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps:
“I am very sorry about my good friend, Bill Walton. I love him as a friend and teammate,” Bird wrote. “It was a thrill for me to play with my childhood idol and together we earned an NBA Championship in 1986. He is one of the greatest ever to play the game. I am sure that all of my teammates are as grateful as I am that we were able to know Bill, he was such a joy to know and he will be sorely missed. My family and I extend our sincere condolences to the Walton family.”
Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck dedicated the Celtics’ 2024 Eastern Conference Finals trophy to Walton.
Legendary Celtics announcer Mike Gorman issued a statement as well.
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