A giant in the game of basketball for over 50 years, Bill Walton was “truly one of a kind,” as Adam Silver said. Walton, who led the UCLA Bruins to two national championships before winning two titles in the NBA as well, died of cancer Monday at the age of 71.
Throughout his storied basketball career, Walton was featured on numerous Sports Illustrated covers, starting with his time with the UCLA Bruins in 1971–74, where he was national player of the year three times and won two national championships under John Wooden.
Walton moved to the NBA when he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974, starting a 14-year career that included a title with the Blazers in '77, another with the Boston Celtics in '86 and just about every other award you can think of in between (NBA MVP, Sixth Man of the Year and Finals MVP).
