“Draw the curtains, I don’t care
‘Cause it’s alright” – The Grateful Dead

If you believe in the old adage that a man is the sum of his parts then Bill Walton needed every bit (and then some) of his 6 foot 11 inch frame to hold in the mighty sum he was made of for the 71 years he walked (occasionally hobbled) along on this spinning rock. I don’t know that there are enough adjectives or descriptions to describe the one-of-a-kind Walton, but by many accounts of people that knew or spent time around Bill, he was warm, witty, loving, intelligent, bizarre, insightful, thankful, purposeful, gracious, athletic, peculiar, radical, philosophical, curious, insert-your-own description.

Though Bill passed away after a battle with cancer this past Memorial Day weekend, there is a kind of poetical symmetry that he was taken from us in the year where his beloved “Conference of Champions” (the Pac 10/Pac 12) also met its’ untimely demise.

The UCLA basketball legend and NBA Hall of Famer kept a quote on his desk or in his office from his UCLA basketball coach, the late, great John Wooden that read: “To Bill Walton, it’s the things you learn after you know it all that count.” Such a true statement, and one I’m sure which helped spur Bill’s lifelong pursuit of whatever fancied his mind at any given time.

“I don’t sleep much. I’m on the go. My mind is racing. My wife says my mind is like the rolling dials on a slot machine. So, yeah, I think about everything.”

I’ve always thought to let a man speak for himself if he has something to say, and boy did Bill have things to say. For those that enjoyed the boyish enthusiasm, the comical comparisons, and sometimes just bizarre thoughts, comments, and actions then please enjoy the following quotes from Bill, because nothing explains Bill Walton any better than Bill Walton, himself:

“I was a skinny, scrawny guy. I stuttered horrendously, couldn’t speak at all. I was a very shy, reserved player and a very shy, reserved person. I found a safe place in life in basketball.”

“I grew up in a non-athletic family, where my parents were interested in music, in literature, in education and art.”

“Growing up, my parents were very, very strict. And then I went to UCLA with John Wooden, who was just off the charts.”

“I mean, I’m 6-foot-11, I’ve got red hair, freckles, I’m a goofy, nerdy-looking guy, I’ve got a speech impediment-I stutter and stammer all the time-and I’m a Deadhead.”

“Basketball is one of those rare opportunities where you can make a difference, not only for yourself, but for other people as well.”

“Never rank, rate, or compare coaches, children, concerts, or championships or congratulations. Just enjoy them all.”

“He (John Wooden) told us that he had made a mistake by leaving the word love out of the Pyramid of Success. And that love is the single most powerful and important word in our language and culture. And until we allow the power of love to supersede the love of power, none of us has any chance of success at all.”

Bill’s commentary on various NBA players:

“Bill Russell was my favorite player of all-time.”

“If Eric Piatkowski continues playing at this level, he’s going to replace Jerry West on the NBA logo.”

“John Stockton is one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!”

“Anytime you bring Michael Olowokandi on to your team, disaster is soon to follow.”

 “Greg Ostertag is one of the top centers on this planet!”

“When I think of Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven in the age of the romantics.”

“Why is Scottie Pippen taking a charge? Taking a charge is for people with no game!”

“Doug Christie, what skill, what strength, what power, what quickness. The vision of Magic Johnson, the athleticism of Michael Jordan, the toughness of Larry Bird. Doug Christie has it all.”

“Steve Nash is the most un-athletic player in the league.”

“The only man who can stop Cliff Robinson is Cliff Robinson. The man is unstoppable even at 38.“

“Tracy McGrady is doing things we’ve never seen from anybody – from any planet!”

“If Anthony Johnson ever gets a jumper, who’s going to stop him?”

Bill on his multiple surgeries:

“I learned a long time ago that minor surgery is when they do operation on someone else, not you.”

“Health is the most critical thing in our life. With your health anything is possible. Without it, you can’t do anything.”

“I’ve had 36 orthopedic operations, have two fused ankles, my knees, hands and wrists don’t work, I now have a fused spine, other than that, everything is great.”

Various other Bill quotes:

“Mick Jagger is in better shape than far too many NBA players. It’s up in the air whether the same can be said of Keith Richards.”

“When you find yourself talking about less and less and forgetting the love that you bring, never forget there are things you can replace but others you can not.”

“When you intercept the ball with your stomach, that is great defense.”

“I couldn’t imagine not playing basketball. To me, basketball is what life is all about.”

“A lot of people understand what not saying anything means, so, in effect, not saying anything is really saying a lot.”

“If you’re living for today, if you’re only dreaming about yesterday, it doesn’t work. You got to know that tomorrow is going to be better. Then you’re on your way.”

“Oh well, a touch of grey, kinda suits you anyway. That was all I had to say, and it’s alright.”

It’s a long recognized fact that Bill Walton may have been The Grateful Dead’s biggest fan (quite literally as well standing at 6 feet 11 inches and having attended somewhere in the neighborhood of 800-1000 Grateful Dead concerts).

“The Grateful Dead, they’re my best friends. Their message of hope, peace, love, teamwork, creativity, imagination, celebration, the dance, the vision, the purpose, the passion all of the things I believe in makes me the luckiest Deadhead in the world.”

In 1987 I was going into my junior year of high school when The Grateful Dead released the song and video for “Touch of Grey,” which became the only Grateful Dead song I could name if I was ever prompted to name one of their songs. I never was put on the spot, probably because I didn’t grow up in the right time period and just didn’t have any friends in high school who were “Deadheads.” But I did (and still do) enjoy this particular song which came a little over a year after Bill Walton had won the 6th Man of the Year award in the NBA and had helped lead my favorite NBA team of all time, the 1985-86 Boston Celtics to a NBA championship. While on air many years later, commentator Dave Pasch speaking about Bill’s days as a Celtic reminded Bill “You did win Sixth Man of the Year,” to which Walton replied: “Which means I was Larry Bird’s valet. Which means my job was to tell Larry what time the game started.“

Back to the song and video, which I also kind of enjoyed. It features the band as performing skeletons and almost immediately reminded me of an episode of my favorite short-lived TV sitcom from 1984-85 called “It’s Your Move” starring a 15 year old Jason Bateman (Matthew) and his neighbor and antagonist David Garrison (Norman) of “Married With Children” fame. The two-part episode was about a fictitious band created by Matthew named The Dregs of Humanity. The band is portrayed with skeletons hidden under clothing. Anyway, you can still watch the entire two-part show on Youtube should you be so inclined. But I digress.

The fact that drummer Mickey Hart happens to be wearing a Boston Celtics jacket in the video didn’t hurt my admiration, and it also coincided with Bill’s current landscape in 1987 which happened to be the final stop in his injury-plagued NBA journey when he officially retired in 1990.

“Music is critical in our lives and culture. It’s the inspiration that drives us. It’s also the window to our souls. It’s a reflection as to who we are, what we stand for, and where we’re going.” – Bill Walton

The window to our souls. A reflection of who we are, what we stand for, and where we’re going. Written by Robert Hunter and composed by Jerry Garcia, here is the video for “Touch of Grey”

We will get by. We will survive.

Rest easy, Big Red

sincerely,

the80’s

For an outstanding piece written by Bill’s colleague and friend at ESPN, “Jake” Bilas, here is the link to his wonderful tribute.