30 Seconds With Bill Walton
Bill Walton, who won two championships at U.C.L.A. under Coach John Wooden, also won two N.B.A. championships, with Portland in 1977 and with Boston in 1986. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
A congenital abnormality in his feet hampered his career, and two years ago, he left broadcasting because of back problems. After surgery, Walton, 58, has returned as a spokesman for Guinness and as a broadcaster for the Celtics and the Sacramento Kings.
Q. Many, including Coach Wooden, consider you the greatest center ever. Do you agree with that assessment?
A. Uh, that would be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Q. So you are the second greatest?
A. No. I was a member of some great teams and was blessed to play for Hall of Fame coaches. It’s not how good you are, it’s how good your teammates are.
Q. What was your reaction to Wooden’s death?
A. Coach and I had said our goodbyes in February of last year, and he died in early June. Coach was the single most important, influential and inspirational person in my life besides my mom and dad. He was a person that I talked to every day for 43 years. When you played for him, he was not your friend. He was very tough and demanding and challenging. He wanted everything from you, but he was fair and he made it fun. We couldn’t wait to get to practice every day. Coach was also an English teacher who taught poetry. He had his favorite poets, and I had mine. He liked Longfellow and Frost. I liked Jerry Garcia and Bob Dylan.
Q. How much more could you have accomplished had you stayed healthy?
A. I would have probably won a lot more. All I ever wanted in life was more. I missed nine and a half full seasons of a 14-year N.B.A. career. I was the most injured player in the history of basketball. In fact, my Hall of Fame acceptance speech lasted longer than my N.B.A. career. It’s frustrating, disappointing, embarrassing, and it’s a stain and stigma on my soul.
Q. Who was your greatest teammate?
A. Maurice Lucas. Nobody made me a better player than Maurice. He was so important in my life that we named our son Luke after big Maurice. While Maurice was the best teammate, Larry Bird was the greatest player I ever played with. In all my years, I never saw a player inspire the home crowds the way Larry did. He’s one of the seven greatest players in the history of pro basketball.
Q. Do you mind sharing your list?
A. Sure. In chronological order it was Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. There are two players today, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who have a chance to join that list.
Q. Compare your son Luke’s talents to yours.
A. He’s a much better player than I was. He’s in his eighth season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, the best team in basketball, and he plays for Phil Jackson.
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