Bill Walton was the difference maker in the world champion 1986 Boston Celtics championship team.
The team was loaded with stars. They had four future Hall of Famers, led by Larry Bird, in their starting lineup. Walton was a fifth coming off the bench and providing key minutes off the bench. Acquired in the offseason to provide frontcourt stability, the oft-injured Walton played in 80 games during the 1985-86 season — the most ever in his career — and played a key role in bringing home Boston’s third championship banner of the decade.
Walton died Monday, May 27, after a long battle with cancer. He was 71.
Bill Walton ‘Regained His Zest for the Game’ With the Boston Celtics
After a stellar college career at UCLA, Walton was the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. In the first four years of his NBA career, Walton won both an NBA championship and an MVP award. He then missed three out the next four seasons with foot injuries.
Before the 1985-86 season, Walton was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Celtics in a deal involving Cedric Maxwell. Walton knew his role on the basketball court would be severely diminished with future Hall of Famers Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, and Dennis Johnson all in the starting lineup. He had no problem with that.
Walton found new life with Boston, averaging 7.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes over 80 games in the regular season. He was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year during Boston’s championship run.
“Bill Walton was one of the most consequential players of his era,” the Celtics said in a statement. “A Hall of Famer, Most Valuable Player, and two-time NBA Champion, Walton could do it all, possessing great timing, complete vision of the floor, excellent fundamentals, and was of one of the greatest passing big men in league history. He derived great joy from basketball and music, and deeply cherished his moments with teammates and friends.
As a Celtic, Bill overcame years of debilitating injuries, regained his zest for the game, and helped guide the 1986 Boston Celtics championship with both his play and his spirit.
The Boston Celtics celebrate Bill’s wonderful life and legacy, and send their deepest sympathies to the Walton family.”
Walton Considered Himself the ‘Most Injured Player Ever’
If not for injuries, Walton would likely be in the GOAT conversation when it comes to NBA Players. In just his third NBA season, he led the Blazers to an NBA title after leading the league in rebounding (14.4 per game) and averaging 18.6 points. He finished second in the MVP voting. The following season, he was named MVP.
After that, he played 14 games in four years. He played four uneventful seasons with the Clippers, averaging 11.9 points, before finding a new home in Boston. He accepted his new role with open arms. He found a new love for the game. Walton became a champion again after basketball life seems so bleak.
“My story is one of a meteoric rise to the top, and then immediately followed by catastrophic orthopedic health problems,” Walton once told Michael D. McClellan of Celtic Nation. “I’m the most injured player ever. I missed more than nine full seasons of my 14-year NBA career. I could never sustain. I’m on Bill Walton 17 right now.
“I wanted to be the best, but my body would not carry me where I needed to go or where I wanted to go. I spent half of my adult life in the hospital, endured 37 operations, and never achieved the ultimate dream of being the best.
“I’ve learned to appreciate the things that I’ve accomplished, like being a part of two of the greatest basketball teams in the world, the (UCLA) Bruins and the Celtics. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
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Boston Celtics Mourn the Death of Bill Walton, Their 1986 Difference Maker