Bill Walton, NBA champion and beloved broadcaster, dies aged 71
Al Jazeera
Tributes pour in for Walton, a two-time NBA champion and basketball Hall of Famer remembered as ‘truly one of a kind’.
Bill Walton, a two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion, Hall of Fame player and beloved broadcaster, has died at the age of 71, the league says.
The NBA said Walton passed away on Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer.
“Bill Walton was truly one of a kind,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
Walton, a 6-foot-11 (211cm) centre who moved gracefully despite his height, rose to stardom in college where he was part of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), dynasty under coach John Wooden.
He won National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) championships in 1972 and 1973 before establishing himself as a force early in his professional career.
