NBA Legend, Celtics Champ Bill Walton Dies After Battle With Cancer

Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton passed away at 71 years of age Monday after a long battle with cancer.

Best known for jaw-dropping, ahead-of-his-time passes, Walton was a staple in the mid-70s to 1980s. In 1985, after having already won an NBA Finals with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, Walton was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Boston Celtics. The deal gave the two-time All-Star a shot at playing alongside Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Boston’s loaded 1986 team, which defeated the Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets in the finals.

“Bill Walton was truly one of a kind,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a released statement. “As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position. His unique all-around skills made him a dominant force at UCLA and led to an NBA regular-season and Finals MVP, two NBA championships and a spot on the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.”

Walton’s best performance in a Celtics uniform came during a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 8, 1986, in which the then-33-year-old notched a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double.

The Trail Blazers retired Walton’s No. 32 in 1979 when he departed Portland, and in 1990 the UCLA Bruins honored Walton the same way.

“As a cherished member of the NBA family for 50 years, Bill will be deeply missed by all those who came to know and love him,” Silver added. “My heartfelt condolences to Bill’s wife, Lori, his sons, Adam, Nate, Luke and Chris; and his many friends and colleagues.”