Many things are credited to Larry Bird. He is acknowledged as one of the top players in his generation. He is recognized for having guided the Boston Celtics to three NBA championships. Bird’s rivalry with Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers even earned him credit for helping to shape the NBA into what it is today. Bill Walton, a former teammate, goes a step further and says that Larry Legend gave him his life back.
It’s possible that Bill Walton was the greatest center of all time.
On Larry Bird Night at Boston Garden on February 4, 1993, former Boston Celtics players Bill Walton, on the left, and Larry Bird, who recently retired, were present
Larry Bird and Bill Walton | Image courtesy of Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Image
La Mesa, California native William Theodore Walton III is not like any other NBA player who has ever worn the uniform. There has never been a combination like his 6-foot-11 size, wild red hair, delicate touch, relentless defense, and adoration of the Grateful Dead
The story that the huge man’s body couldn’t withstand the demands of playing professional basketball, however, is all too familiar. According to NBA.com, Dr. Jack Ramsay once compared Walton to a cross between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Unfortunately for him and all basketball fans, though, Walton’s 14-year NBA career saw him play in fewer than 500 games.
Around the beginning of the 1970s, Walton played for UCLA and John Wooden, winning three straight National Championships. He was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1974 NBA Draft.
Grateful Red, as his teammates dubbed him, had an amazing Hall of Fame career in spite of all the injuries. Walton was a member of the defensive team, an All-Star, and an NBA All-Star twice. In addition, he was named Sixth Man of the Year in 1985–86 and NBA MVP in 1977–78. The former Bruin also took home two NBA championships. He won Finals MVP in 1977 and guided the Blazers to a title. He helped Bird win his third in 1986 by coming off the bench.
Walton’s career was marked by hard-won success in Portland and Boston, but from 1979 to 1985, he played five injury-plagued, losing seasons with the San Diego Clippers, a newly relocated team.
