Bill Walton

Bill Walton is a NBA Hall of Fame member and current announcer for NBA games. Walton had a prolific college career and has been named by some sports historians as the greatest college basketball player ever. Walton first starred for UCLA before jumping to the NBA as a number one pick to the Portland Trailblazers. Walton remains enamored with the Blazers and the city that welcomed him and his eccentric off the court behavior.

Walton played college basketball at UCLA under coach John Wooden from 1971-1974, winning two national titles with the team. Walton was a member of the UCLA squad which won 88 straight games during this stretch. Walton was a scholar athlete at UCLA in addition to the great play on the court. In 1973, Walton won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States, as well as the Naismith College Player of the Year in 1972, 1973 and 1974. In the 1973 title game, Walton scored 44 points on 21 of 22 from the field in leading the Bruins to the win over Memphis State. Some basketball historians have called Walton the greatest college player to ever play the game.

Walton was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers and was hoped to be the savior of the franchise. Walton did lead his team to the NBA championship in 1977 and was named the NBA Finals MVP. Walton's NBA career was hampered by a series of foot injuries. His first injury happened the year after winning the title, while the Blazers were in the midst of a 50-10 record. A broken foot brought an amazing season to a end both for the team and Walton. After winning a title with Portland, Walton jumped around to three different teams before retiring in 1988. He had two stints with the Boston Celtics who he won a second title with in 1986 and the San Diego Clippers.