Two-time NBA champion Bill Walton, who dominated the hard court during a 13-year pro-basketball career and later
as a broadcaster who both delighted and dismayed sports fans with his sometimes zany color commentary, died after a "prolonged battle with cancer," the league announced Monday
Walton, who was 71, was with his family when he passed, NBA spokesperson Mark Broussard said in a statement.
Bill Walton was truly one of a kind," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position
Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977 and won a second NBA title as a member of the Boston Celtics in 1986
Walton "translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to broadcasting, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans
Born Nov. 5, 1952, in La Mesa, California, Walton was a 6-11 high school basketball phenom before he went to play for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins.