Trail Blazers News: Bill Walton Was Beyond Grateful for the Grateful Dead

As they were for him.

Alex Kirschenbaum | Jun 4, 2024

Jan 27, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Pac-12 Networks analyst Bill Walton (left) and play-by-play announcer Roxy Bernstein during the game between the Southern California Trojans and the UCLA Bruins at the Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Portland Trail Blazers

Hall of Fame former Portland Trail Blazers center Bill Walton, who won his lone league MVP award and one of his two NBA championships with the franchise, passed away last week at the age of 71, after a battle with colon cancer that he had largely kept private.

Listed at 6-foot-11 (though he was probably closer to 7-foot-2), Walton was selected by the Trail Blazers with the No. 1 pick in the 1974 draft out of UCLA. He had led the Bruins to two straight NCAA championships, in 1972 and '73, while being named the National player of the Year for three straight seasons. By 1977, Walton had brought Portland its lone NBA title. By 1978, he was the league MVP — despite only being healthy for 58 games due to a pesky stress fracture in his foot. He was also a two-time All-Defensive Teamer and a two-time All-Star during his tenure in Rip City. The foot injury wound up permanently altering the course of his career, and he would eventually demand a trade to his native then-San Diego Clippers in 1979.

During his 209 regular season contests with Portland, Walton averaged 17.1 points on 51 percent shooting from the field and 67.4 percent shooting from the charity stripe, 13.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.6 blocks and one steal.

Big Red was always one to let his freak flag fly, both on the court with his unique pass-heavy game (totally unheard-of for a center at the time) — and off it, as one of the league's most radical hippies.

His Grateful Dead fandom was recalled byTracy Brown of The Los Angeles Timesin a recent piece. Per Brown, Walton was a staple for at least 850 Dead shows.

He eventually befriended the band, who would take up residence at his San Diego home when they were intown. Walton was one of the few folks invited to band leader Jerry Garcia's private funeral in 1995. His home was littered with Grateful Dead memorabilia. His 2016 memoir "Back From The Dead" was also loaded up with Dead lines. During his tenure on the Boston Celtics as a critical sixth man, he even brought his colleagues to a concert.

"Something that I’ve learned and I’ve received a lot of encouragement and help from my friends, particularly in the Grateful Dead, [is] don’t look back," Walton said during aTV conversation upon his retirement. "Just keep going and something good will happen.”

Three Grateful Dead alums — rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and percussionist Mickey Hart all took to their various social media channels to pay tribute to their longtime friend Walton.

Kreutzmann's moving tribute praised Walton as a "genuine fan that became a genuine friend and someone I always looked up to."