Pacers' Rick Carlisle Shares How the Late Bill Walton Once Helped Him on a First Date

Tom Dierberger | Jun 5, 2024

Bill Walton greets San Diego State Aztecs fans before the game against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the 2023 Final Four. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was teammates with the late Bill Walton for two seasons during his NBA playing career.

Carlisle and Walton overlapped on the Boston Celtics from 1985 to '87 and won an NBA championship together in 1986. Walton averaged 2.1 assists per game that season, but it was an off-the-court assist that Carlisle remembers most.

"I have him to thank, probably, also for me being married to my wife Donna," Carlisle told reporters ahead of the Pacers' Game 4 matchup against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals Monday.

In 1987, Carlisle attended a Grateful Dead concert with Donna on their first date. Carlisle called Walton ahead of time to ask for advice since the former UCLA star was an well-known Grateful Dead fan dating back to the 1960s.

"He said, 'Just go to the back door, ask for Dennis McNally, tell him you're Rick Carlisle from the Boston Celtics, and everything will be just fine.'"

Rick Carlisle on the passing of Bill Walton and a great story on how he helped him on his first date with his now wife. pic.twitter.com/iCw5yQ1fBw

— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) May 27, 2024

Thanks to Walton's connection, Carlisle and Donna were able to hang out with the band during a break in the concert. The first date was a massive success. Thirteen years later in 2000, they got married.

The Walton family announced Monday that Bill passed away at age 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

"He defiantly competed for every moment in life to be the greatest it could possibly be," Carlisle said of Walton. "That's the best way to describe it."