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Bill Walton’s “The Luckiest Guy in the World” docuseries, a four-part series by ESPN, has just been released. Stories of Walton in high school and as a superstar under the legendary John Wooden at UCLA are reportedly not-to-miss parts.
One such exchange between Wooden and Walton was introduced as a teaser. Here’s the legendary Bruins center narrating one intriguing story:
“Coach Wooden pivots and just makes a beeline straight to me. ‘Bill, it’s come to my attention that you’ve been smoking marijuana.’ I tried to think what to say to that question.
“I cleared my throat, got as serious as I possibly could, and I said, ‘Coach, I have no idea what you’re talking about.’”
Bill Walton’s tenure at UCLA was probably sealed when he was still in elementary school. Walton was an avid fan of the Bruins even before he started high school basketball and his desire to become a Bruin paid dividends on the court.
Walton led UCLA to two NCAA championships in 1972 and 1974. He was college hoops’ biggest star and backed it up by winning three straight national college Player of the Year awards.
There were rumors that Wooden allowed Walton to smoke marijuana in college due to his basketball status. With the way the legendary coached asked his players about weed, those rumors might have been false, after all.
The basketball Hall of Fame player captured his love affair with the school and his relationship with John Wooden in a GQ Magazine interview:
“I was John Wooden's easiest recruit. I became his worst nightmare. I drove the poor guy to an early grave when he was 99.
“I had three different periods of my life in my relationship with him: (1) when I was a high school student and he was recruiting me; (2) when I played for him when I was 17 to 21; (3) and then 36 years of being his friend.
“I had no idea what we had at UCLA. ... Then I joined the NBA. And I realized immediately that I had just absolutely blown this whole deal with John Wooden.”
John Wooden passed away on June 4, 2010. Bill Walton, who played from 1974-75 to 1987-88, became one of the most recognizable and divisive basketball analysts.
Bill Walton would have had an even more impressive NBA career if not for knee and foot injuries
Bill Walton was named as one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players. The “Red Baron” led the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 championship where he was named finals MVP. Walton also won the regular-season MVP the year after giving Portland its first and only title.
The former Bruins superstar missed seasons 1978-79, 1980-81 and 1981-82 due to foot injuries. During the 1979-80 season, he played just 14 games due to the same reason.
Bill Walton was already a two-time All-Star, regular-season MVP and NBA Finals MVP when brutal foot injuries took their toll. He could have easily accomplished more had it not been for his misfortune.
Many considered him to be one of the best centers in an era that had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone and Robert Parish.
Walton’s career had a renaissance when he signed with the Boston Celtics in 1985. He won the Sixth Man of the Year and helped Larry Bird’s team to the 1986 title. His passing and interior defense, although declining, were still crucial in Boston’s last title in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
The two-time champ’s last season was in 1987. He sat out the following year due to another foot injury and eventually retired.
