Bill Walton

Bill Walton

Walton in August 2008
Personal information
Born	(1952-11-05) November 5, 1952 La Mesa, California
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Helix (La Mesa, California)
College	UCLA (1971–1974)
NBA draft	1974 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Pro career	1974–1987
Position	Center
Number	32, 5
Career history
1974–1978	Portland Trail Blazers
1979–1985	San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers
1985–1987	Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA champion (1977, 1986) NBA Finals MVP (1977) NBA Most Valuable Player (1978) 2× NBA All-Star (1977–1978) All-NBA First Team (1978) All-NBA Second Team (1977) 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1977–1978) NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1986) NBA rebounding leader (1977) NBA blocks leader (1977) No. 32 retired by Portland Trail Blazers NBA 50th Anniversary Team 2× NCAA champion (1972–1973) 2× NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1972–1973) 3× National college player of the year (1972–1974) 3× Consensus first-team All-American (1972–1974) No. 32 retired by UCLA
Career NBA statistics
Points	6,215 (13.3 ppg)
FG%	52.1
Blocks	1,034 (2.2 bpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

William Theodore "Bill" Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American retired basketball player and television sportscaster. Walton achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three successive College Player of the Year Awards, while leading the Bruins to two Division I national titles. He then went on to have a prominent career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) where he was a league Most Valuable Player (MVP) and won two NBA championships. His professional career was significantly hampered by multiple foot injuries. Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 10, 1993^[1] and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame that same year. He is the father of former professional basketball player Luke Walton.

Early life and college career

Walton was born in La Mesa, California, the son of Gloria Anne (née Hickey) and William Theodore "Ted" Walton.^[2] His listed adult playing height was 6 feet 11 inches; it has been reported that Walton was actually taller (7 feet 2 inches, or more), but did not like being categorized as a seven-footer.^[3][4]

He played high school basketball at Helix High School.^[5] At age 17, Walton played for the United States men's national basketball team at the 1970 FIBA World Championship.^[6] He played college basketball for John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1971 to 1974, winning the national title in 1972 over Florida State and again in 1973 with an 87–66 win over Memphis State in which Walton made 21 of 22 field goal attempts and scored 44 points, representing more than half his team's total points.

The Walton-led 1971–72 UCLA basketball team had a record of 30–0, in the process winning its games by an average margin of more than 30 points. He was the backbone of two consecutive 30–0 seasons and was also part of UCLA's NCAA men's basketball record 88-game winning streak. The UCLA streak contributed to a personal winning streak that lasted almost five years, in which Walton's high school, UCLA freshman (freshmen were ineligible for the varsity at that time), and UCLA varsity teams did not lose a game from the middle of his junior year of high school to the middle of his senior year in college.

Walton was the 1973 recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Walton also received the USBWA College Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year as the top college basketball player in the country three years in a row while attending UCLA, at the same time earning Academic All-American honors three times. Some college basketball historians rate Walton as the greatest who ever played the game at the college level.^[7] In Walton's senior year during the 1973–74 season, the school's 88-game winning streak ended with a 71–70 loss to Notre Dame. During the same season, UCLA's record seven consecutive national titles was broken when North Carolina State defeated the Bruins 80–77 in double overtime in the NCAA semi-finals. With Walton's graduation in 1974 and legendary Bruin coach John Wooden's retirement after UCLA's 1975 national title, the unprecedented UCLA dynasty came to an end.

Prior to joining the varsity team, Walton (18.1, 68.6 per cent), along with Greg Lee (17.9 ppg) and Keith Wilkes (20.0 ppg), was a member of the 20–0 UCLA Freshman team.^[8]

NBA career

Portland Trail Blazers

On leaving college, Walton was drafted by the San Diego Conquistadors of the American Basketball Association^[9] and also taken as the number one overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1974 NBA draft^[9] and was hailed as the savior of the Portland franchise. He signed with the Trail Blazers but his first two seasons were marred by injury (at different times he broke his nose, foot, wrist and leg) and the Blazers missed the playoffs both years. It was not until the 1976–77 season that he was healthy enough to play 65 games and, spurred by new head coach Jack Ramsay, the Trail Blazers became the Cinderella team of the NBA. Walton led the NBA in both rebounds per game and blocked shots per game that season, and he was selected to the NBA All-Star Game, but did not participate due to an injury. Walton was named to the NBA's First All-Defensive Team and the All-NBA Second Team for his regular season accomplishments. In the postseason, Walton led Portland to a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals (arguably holding his own against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the series)^[10] and went on to help the Trail Blazers to the NBA title over the favored Philadelphia 76ers despite losing the first two games of the series. Walton was named the Finals MVP.

The following year, the Blazers won 50 of their first 60 games before Walton suffered a broken foot in what turned out to be the first in a string of foot and ankle injuries that cut short his career. He nonetheless won the league MVP that season (1978) and the Sporting News NBA MVP, as well. He played in his only All-Star Game in 1978 and was named to both the NBA's First All-Defensive Team and the All-NBA First Team. Walton returned to action for the playoffs, but was reinjured in the second game of a series against the Seattle SuperSonics. Without Walton to lead them, Portland lost the series to Seattle in six games. As it turned out, Walton would never play for the Trail Blazers again. During the offseason, Walton demanded to be traded, citing unethical and incompetent treatment of his and other players' injuries by the Blazers' front office. He did not get his wish and sat out the 1978–79 season in protest, signing with the San Diego Clippers when he became a free agent in 1979.^[11]

Later career

Walton spent more time on the disabled list than on the court with his hometown San Diego Clippers. He only played 14 games for the Clippers during the 1979-80 season before missing all of the next two seasons, undergoing several reconstructive surgeries on his injured foot. After going through extensive rehabilitation, Walton's foot began to improve; after playing only 14 games from 1979–82, he played 33 games in 1982-83, 55 games in 1983-84, and a then-career high 67 in 1984-85. After the 1984–85 campaign, Walton called on two of the league's premier teams, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. After several players on the Celtics said they liked the idea of having Walton as a teammate backing up Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach made the deal happen. One anecdote that particularly illustrates Walton's decision to choose the Celtics over the Lakers involves Larry Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office when Walton called. Bird said that if Walton felt healthy enough to play that it was good enough for him, as opposed to Lakers GM Jerry West, who was hedging his interest in Walton pending a doctor's report. Boston acquired Walton by sending popular forward Cedric Maxwell to the Clippers along with a first-round draft pick. Providing a reliable backup to McHale and Parish, Walton played in a career-high 80 games and received the NBA Sixth Man Award that season en route to the NBA Championship, becoming the only player to have ever won an NBA Finals MVP, Sixth Man Award, and regular season MVP.

Walton injured himself again the following season, but returned for the 1987 playoffs. He spent the 1987–88 season on the injured list. He attempted a comeback in February 1990, but injury intervened and he retired from the game. His ankle problems became so severe years later that he had both his ankles surgically fused. His saga of injury and failed rehabs was connected to the use of painkillers by the doctor who was assigned to his case. Walton has said repeatedly in his broadcasts that he is just as much to blame for taking the medication as the doctor was for giving it to him. In a June 8, 2010 interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Walton admitted to contemplating suicide for a time due to the constant pain resulting from injuries sustained during his NBA career.^[12] Walton's injuries, along with his 1978–1979 year-long protest, gave him an unpleasant, if not odd, record of missing the most games during an NBA playing career, when taking into account the number of years he was officially listed as a player on a team roster.

Walton was inducted into both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. Walton also had his number 32 retired by the Blazers in 1989. His number 32 was also retired by UCLA, in a joint ceremony with fellow basketball legend, number 33, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is also enshrined in the UCLA Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was named as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of all time. He was added to the San Diego Hall of Champions in 1990.

Awards and honors

• 2× NBA champion (1977, 1986)
• NBA Finals MVP (1977)
• NBA Most Valuable Player (1978)
• 2× NBA All-Star (1977–1978)
• All-NBA First Team (1978)
• All-NBA Second Team (1977)
• 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1977–1978)
• NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1986)
• NBA 50th Anniversary Team
• No. 32 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
• 2× NCAA champion (1972–1973)
• 2× NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1972–1973)
• 3× Naismith College Player of the Year (1972–1974)
• 3× USBWA Player of the Year (1972–1974)
• 3× Adolph Rupp Trophy (1972–1974)
• 2× Helms Foundation College Player of the Year (1972–1973)
• 3× Sporting News College Player of the Year (1972–1974)
• 2× AP College Player of the Year (1972–1973)
• 3× Consensus first-team All-American (1972–1974)
• 3× First-team All-Pac-8 (1972–1974)
• No. 32 retired by UCLA

Broadcasting

After his retirement as a player, Walton overcame a stuttering problem^[13] to become a successful and controversial NBA color commentator for NBC (1990–2002), the Los Angeles Clippers (1990–2002) and ABC/ESPN (2002–2009). After nineteen years working in broadcasting, he left ESPN in November 2009, as the result of back problems dating back to an injury suffered while playing at UCLA. Following surgery on his back, Walton returned to broadcasting as a part-time commentator for the Sacramento Kings for 2010-11 and 2011-12.

In July 2012, ESPN and the Pac-12 Network announced that he would return to broadcasting as a game analyst for Pac-12 basketball coverage, starting with the 2012-13 season.^[14]

Walton's trademark catchphrases have included:

• "That's a terrible call! Terrible!"
• "Where in the world is [x]?" (for a player who has disappeared from a game)
• "What is a foul?"
• "Dial a violation."
• "He couldn't even inbound the ball!"
• "Throw it down, big man! Throw it down!"
• "Player [X] is right-handed and will continue to be right-handed for the remainder of the game."

In addition, his commentary has been noted for his frequent use of hyperbole. Walton typically was paired with Steve "Snapper" Jones for national NBA games because he and Jones had a point-counterpoint banter during games. Despite their frequent on-air argumentative banter they are actually good friends, as was shown in Walton's short lived 2003 TV series "Bill Walton's Long Strange Trip."

While broadcasting games of the Oregon Ducks, he frequently calls Ducks forward Dwayne Benjamin Snoop Dogg, because of his resemblance to the rapper.^[15]

Personal life

Walton currently resides in his hometown of San Diego with his wife Lori. He and his first wife, Susie, had four sons: Adam, Nathan, Luke, and Chris. Luke played from 2003 to 2012 for the Los Angeles Lakers, won both the 2009 and 2010 NBA Finals, making Bill and Luke the first father-son pair to have both won multiple NBA championships. Another of Walton's sons, Chris, played for San Diego State. Nate, his middle son, played basketball at Princeton but then entered the corporate world and earned his MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. (Bill Walton attended Stanford Law School for two years but never graduated.) Nate was on the ballot for the 2003 California Recall Election, receiving 1,697 votes. Walton's other son, Adam, also played NCAA basketball at Louisiana State University.

Walton is a well-known fan of the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Neil Young, Phish, and Bob Dylan. He attended more than 650^[16] Grateful Dead concerts, including traveling with the band to Egypt for its famous 1978 performance before the Pyramids (joining the band on drums),^[17] and quotes Dead lyrics in TV and radio interviews. To fellow Deadheads, Walton is fondly known as "Grateful Red" and the "Big Red Deadhead" and "World's Tallest Deadhead". In the video for "Touch of Grey", Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart is wearing a Celtics jacket that was given to him by Walton. In 2001, Bill Walton was inducted into The Grateful Dead Hall of Honor. While broadcasting a game between the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans, Walton talked about a speech Dylan gave at MusiCares, and ESPN actually had prepared graphics about Dylan's career highlights.^[18]

Walton also considers himself a fan and friend of the late Ken Kesey. In 2015 he made a visit to the Ken Kesey Collection while on a stop at the University of Oregon.^[19]

Walton expounds upon his music interests on his own satellite radio show, One More Saturday Night (named after the Dead song of the same name), heard during late prime time on Sirius Radio's Jam On and XM Radio's Grateful Dead channel. Walton has stated in his online introduction to his radio show column that he enjoys going to concerts alone because then he has fewer things in between him and reaching the omega point that all concert goers seek at shows.

Walton still has a committed relationship with the Celtics, if not professionally, as a fan. Despite the area where he grew up, and the team his son Luke played for, Walton is careful to point out, "Even though I grew up in the heart of Laker country, the Celtics were always MY team". He keeps a picture of the floor of the old Boston Garden in his kitchen. Walton joined the Celtics broadcast crew for a West Coast road trip in 2011.

In 1990, Walton was inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.^[20]

In popular culture

Walton has cameo appearances in the films 88 and 1, Celtic Pride, Little Nicky and Semi-Pro, and appeared as Sven the Wise in the 2011 Capital One Visigoth SportsNet commercials. He is also mentioned by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1980 comedy Airplane! ("Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes!")

Bill Walton is a playable character in the video games NBA Street Vol. 2 (2003), NBA Street V3 (2005), NBA 2K12 (2011), NBA 2K13 (2012), NBA 2K14 (2013), NBA 2K15 (2014), and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (2011), and lent his voice to NBA 2K5 and NBA Shootout 2004.

Walton appeared in an episode of the reality TV show Shark Tank on January 20, 2012, where he helped to sell the "Clean Bottle", a water bottle that unscrews at both ends for easier cleaning.

See also

• List of National Basketball Association season rebounding leaders

Further reading

• Heisler, Mark (2003). Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-577-1. 

References

External links

• Bill Walton's official site
• Bill Walton's Historical Profile on NBA.com
• Hoopedia bio
• Bill Walton commentary on Pete Maravich on YouTube
• Bill Walton statistics
• 1972–74 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year

Links to related articles Awards and achievements Preceded by Gary Hall, Sr. Lawrie Mifflin Drew Pearson Cynthia Potter Sally Ride Harry Smith Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) Class of 1999 Dave Casper Anita DeFrantz Pat Summitt Lynn Swann Robert R. Thomas Bill Walton Succeeded by Dianne Baker Junior Bridgeman Pat Haden Lisa Rosenblum John Dickson Stufflebeem John Trembley United States squad – 1970 FIBA World Championship – 5th place 4 Brody 5 Walton 6 Washington 7 Luchini 8 Silliman 9 Wolfe 10 Williams 11 Wilmore 12 Hillman 13 Isaac 14 McDonald 15 Smith Coach: Fischer UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball 1971–72 NCAA Champions 22 Tommy Curtis 31 Swen Nater 32 Bill Walton (MOP) 43 Greg Lee 45 Henry Bibby 52 Keith Wilkes 53 Larry Hollyfield 54 Larry Farmer Head Coach John Wooden Assistant Coaches Gary Cunningham Frank Arnold UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball 1972–73 NCAA Champions 22 Tommy Curtis 25 Pete Trgovich 31 Swen Nater 32 Bill Walton (MOP) 34 Dave Meyers 35 Ralph Drollinger 43 Greg Lee 52 Keith Wilkes 53 Larry Hollyfield 54 Larry Farmer Head Coach John Wooden Assistant Coaches Gary Cunningham Frank Arnold NBA first overall draft picks 1947: McNeely 1948: Tonkovich 1949: Shannon 1950: Share 1951: Melchiorre 1952: Workman 1953: Felix 1954: Selvy 1955: Ricketts 1956: Green 1957: Hundley 1958: Baylor 1959: Boozer 1960: Robertson 1961: Bellamy 1962: McGill 1963: Heyman 1964: Barnes 1965: Hetzel 1966: Russell 1967: Walker 1968: Hayes 1969: Alcindor 1970: Lanier 1971: Carr 1972: L. Martin 1973: Collins 1974: Walton 1975: D. Thompson 1976: Lucas 1977: Benson 1978: M. Thompson 1979: E. Johnson 1980: Carroll 1981: Aguirre 1982: Worthy 1983: Sampson 1984: Olajuwon 1985: Ewing 1986: Daugherty 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Manning 1989: Ellison 1990: Coleman 1991: L. Johnson 1992: O'Neal 1993: Webber 1994: G. Robinson 1995: Smith 1996: Iverson 1997: Duncan 1998: Olowokandi 1999: Brand 2000: K. Martin 2001: Brown 2002: Yao 2003: James 2004: Howard 2005: Bogut 2006: Bargnani 2007: Oden 2008: Rose 2009: Griffin 2010: Wall 2011: Irving 2012: Davis 2013: Bennett 2014: Wiggins 1974 NBA Draft First round Bill Walton Marvin Barnes Tommy Burleson John Shumate Bobby Jones Scott Wedman Tom Henderson Campy Russell Tom McMillen Mike Sojourner Jamaal Wilkes Brian Winters Len Elmore Maurice Lucas Al Eberhard Cliff Pondexter Glenn McDonald Gary Brokaw Second round Don Smith Jan van Breda Kolff Billy Knight Truck Robinson Gus Bailey Len Kosmalski John Drew Leonard Gray Leon Benbow Aaron James Phil Smith Dennis DuVal Fred Saunders Jesse Dark Eric Money Phil Lumpkin Kevin Stacom Rubin Collins Portland Trail Blazers 1976–77 NBA Champions 3 Herm Gilliam 10 Corky Calhoun 13 Dave Twardzik 14 Lionel Hollins 15 Larry Steele 16 Johnny Davis 20 Maurice Lucas 30 Bob Gross 32 Bill Walton (Finals MVP) 34 Robin Jones 36 Lloyd Neal 42 Wally Walker Head coach Jack Ramsay Assistant coach Jack McKinney Regular season Playoffs Boston Celtics 1985–86 NBA Champions 00 Robert Parish 3 Dennis Johnson 5 Bill Walton 8 Scott Wedman 11 Sam Vincent 12 Jerry Sichting 32 Kevin McHale 33 Larry Bird (Finals MVP) 34 Rick Carlisle 44 Danny Ainge 45 David Thirdkill 50 Greg Kite Head coach K. C. Jones Assistant coaches Jimmy Rodgers Chris Ford Ed Badger Regular season Playoffs Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1993 Players Walt Bellamy Julius Erving Dan Issel Dick McGuire Ann Meyers Calvin Murphy Uljana Semjonova Bill Walton Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Based in Springfield, Massachusetts Members   Coaches (98) Alexeeva Allen Anderson Auerbach Auriemma Barmore Barry Blood Boeheim Brown Calhoun Calipari Cann Carlson Carnesecca Carnevale Carril Case Chancellor Chaney Conradt Crum Daly Dean Díaz-Miguel Diddle Drake Ferrándiz Gaines Gamba Gardner Gaze Gill Gomelsky Gunter Hannum Harshman Haskins Hatchell Heinsohn Hickey Hobson Holzman Hurley Iba Jackson Julian Keaney Keogan Knight Krzyzewski Kundla Lambert Leonard Lewis Litwack Loeffler Lonborg Magee McCutchan A. McGuire F. McGuire Meanwell Meyer Miller Moore Nelson Nikolić Novosel Olson Pitino Ramsay Richardson Riley Rubini Rupp Rush Sachs Sharman Shelton Sloan Smith Stringer Summitt Tarkanian Taylor Teague Thompson VanDerveer Wade Watts Wilkens G. Williams R. Williams Wooden Woolpert Wootten Yow Boldface indicates those who are also inducted as players   Contributors (66) Abbott Barksdale Bee Biasone H. Brown W. Brown Bunn Buss Clifton Colangelo Cooper Davidson Douglas Duer Embry Fagan Fisher Fleisher Gavitt Gottlieb Granik Gulick Harrison Hearn Henderson Hepp Hickox Hinkle Irish Jones Kennedy Knight Lemon Liston Lloyd McLendon Mokray Morgan Morgenweck Naismith Newell Newton J. O'Brien L. O'Brien Olsen Podoloff Porter Raveling Reid Ripley Sanders Saperstein Schabinger St. John Stagg Stanković Steitz Stern Taylor Tower Trester Vitale Wells Wilke Winter Zollner   Players (168) Guards Archibald Beckman Belov Bing Blazejowski Borgmann Brennan Cervi Cooper-Dyke Cousy Dampier Davies Drexler Dumars Edwards Frazier Friedman Gervin Goodrich Greer Guerin Hanson Haynes Holman Hyatt Isaacs Jeannette D. Johnson E. Johnson K. Jones S. Jones Jordan Lieberman Maravich Marcari Marčiulionis Martin McDermott McGuire Meyers R. Miller Monroe Murphy Page Payton Petrović Phillip Richmond Robertson Rodgers Roosma Russell Schommer Sedran Sharman Staley Steinmetz Stockton Thomas Thompson Vandivier Wanzer West White Wilkens Woodard Wooden Forwards Arizin Barkley Barry Baylor Bird Bradley R. Brown Cunningham Curry Dalipagić Dantley DeBusschere Dehnert Endacott English Erving Foster Fulks Gale Gates Gola Hagan Havlicek Hawkins Hayes Haywood Heinsohn Howell G. Johnson King Lucas Luisetti K. Malone McClain B. McCracken J. McCracken McHale Mikkelsen C. Miller Mullin Pettit Pippen Pollard Ramsey Rodman Schayes E. Schmidt O. Schmidt Stokes Thompson Twyman Walker White Wilkes Wilkins Worthy Yardley Centers Abdul-Jabbar Barlow Bellamy Chamberlain Ćosić Cowens Crawford Daniels DeBernardi Donovan Ewing Gallatin Gilmore Gruenig Harris-Stewart Houbregs Issel W. Johnson Johnston Krause Kurland Lanier Leslie Lovellette Lapchick Macauley M. Malone McAdoo Meneghin Mikan Mourning Murphy Mutombo Olajuwon Parish Pereira Reed Risen Robinson Russell Sabonis Sampson Semjonova Thurmond Unseld Wachter Walton Boldface indicates those who are also inducted as coaches   Referees (15) Bavetta Enright Hepbron Hoyt Kennedy Leith Mihalik Nichols Nucatola Quigley Rudolph Shirley Strom Tobey Walsh   Teams (10) 1960 United States Olympic Team 1992 United States Olympic Team All American Red Heads Buffalo Germans The First Team Harlem Globetrotters Immaculata College New York Renaissance Original Celtics Texas Western Awards Bob Cousy Award Curt Gowdy Media Award John Bunn Award Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award Official website National Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Nate Archibald Paul Arizin Charles Barkley Rick Barry Elgin Baylor Dave Bing Larry Bird Wilt Chamberlain Bob Cousy Dave Cowens Billy Cunningham Dave DeBusschere Clyde Drexler Julius Erving Patrick Ewing Walt Frazier George Gervin Hal Greer John Havlicek Elvin Hayes Magic Johnson Sam Jones Michael Jordan Jerry Lucas Karl Malone Moses Malone Pete Maravich Kevin McHale George Mikan Earl Monroe Hakeem Olajuwon Shaquille O'Neal Robert Parish Bob Pettit Scottie Pippen Willis Reed Oscar Robertson David Robinson Bill Russell Dolph Schayes Bill Sharman John Stockton Isiah Thomas Nate Thurmond Wes Unseld Bill Walton Jerry West Lenny Wilkens James Worthy Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award 1969: West 1970: Reed 1971: Alcindor 1972: Chamberlain 1973: Reed 1974: Havlicek 1975: Barry 1976: White 1977: Walton 1978: Unseld 1979: D. Johnson 1980: E. Johnson 1981: Maxwell 1982: E. Johnson 1983: Malone 1984: Bird 1985: Abdul-Jabbar 1986: Bird 1987: E. Johnson 1988: Worthy 1989: Dumars 1990: Thomas 1991: Jordan 1992: Jordan 1993: Jordan 1994: Olajuwon 1995: Olajuwon 1996: Jordan 1997: Jordan 1998: Jordan 1999: Duncan 2000: O'Neal 2001: O'Neal 2002: O'Neal 2003: Duncan 2004: Billups 2005: Duncan 2006: Wade 2007: Parker 2008: Pierce 2009: Bryant 2010: Bryant 2011: Nowitzki 2012: James 2013: James 2014: Leonard NBA Most Valuable Player Award 1956: Pettit 1957: Cousy 1958: Russell 1959: Pettit 1960: Chamberlain 1961: Russell 1962: Russell 1963: Russell 1964: Robertson 1965: Russell 1966: Chamberlain 1967: Chamberlain 1968: Chamberlain 1969: Unseld 1970: Reed 1971: Alcindor 1972: Abdul-Jabbar 1973: Cowens 1974: Abdul-Jabbar 1975: McAdoo 1976: Abdul-Jabbar 1977: Abdul-Jabbar 1978: Walton 1979: M. Malone 1980: Abdul-Jabbar 1981: Erving 1982: M. Malone 1983: M. Malone 1984: Bird 1985: Bird 1986: Bird 1987: Johnson 1988: Jordan 1989: Johnson 1990: Johnson 1991: Jordan 1992: Jordan 1993: Barkley 1994: Olajuwon 1995: Robinson 1996: Jordan 1997: K. Malone 1998: Jordan 1999: K. Malone 2000: O'Neal 2001: Iverson 2002: Duncan 2003: Duncan 2004: Garnett 2005: Nash 2006: Nash 2007: Nowitzki 2008: Bryant 2009: James 2010: James 2011: Rose 2012: James 2013: James 2014: Durant NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award 1983: Jones 1984: McHale 1985: McHale 1986: Walton 1987: Pierce 1988: Tarpley 1989: Johnson 1990: Pierce 1991: Schrempf 1992: Schrempf 1993: Robinson 1994: Curry 1995: Mason 1996: Kukoč 1997: Starks 1998: Manning 1999: Armstrong 2000: Rogers 2001: McKie 2002: Williamson 2003: Jackson 2004: Jamison 2005: Gordon 2006: Miller 2007: Barbosa 2008: Ginóbili 2009: Terry 2010: Crawford 2011: Odom 2012: Harden 2013: Smith 2014: Crawford 2015: Williams NBA season rebounding leaders 1951: Schayes 1952: Foust and Hutchins 1953: Mikan 1954: Gallatin 1955: Johnston 1956: Pettit 1957: Stokes 1958: Russell 1959: Russell 1960: Chamberlain 1961: Chamberlain 1962: Chamberlain 1963: Chamberlain 1964: Russell 1965: Russell 1966: Chamberlain 1967: Chamberlain 1968: Chamberlain 1969: Chamberlain 1970: Hayes 1971: Chamberlain 1972: Chamberlain 1973: Chamberlain 1974: Hayes 1975: Unseld 1976: Abdul-Jabbar 1977: Walton 1978: T. Robinson 1979: Malone 1980: Nater 1981: Malone 1982: Malone 1983: Malone 1984: Malone 1985: Malone 1986: Laimbeer 1987: Barkley 1988: Cage 1989: Olajuwon 1990: Olajuwon 1991: D. Robinson 1992: Rodman 1993: Rodman 1994: Rodman 1995: Rodman 1996: Rodman 1997: Rodman 1998: Rodman 1999: Webber 2000: Mutombo 2001: Mutombo 2002: Wallace 2003: Wallace 2004: Garnett 2005: Garnett 2006: Garnett 2007: Garnett 2008: Howard 2009: Howard 2010: Howard 2011: Love 2012: Howard 2013: Howard 2014: Jordan 2015: Jordan NBA season blocks leaders 1974: Smith 1975: Abdul-Jabbar 1976: Abdul-Jabbar 1977: Walton 1978: Johnson 1979: Abdul-Jabbar 1980: Abdul-Jabbar 1981: Johnson 1982: Johnson 1983: Rollins 1984: Eaton 1985: Eaton 1986: Bol 1987: Eaton 1988: Eaton 1989: Bol 1990: Olajuwon 1991: Olajuwon 1992: Robinson 1993: Olajuwon 1994: Mutombo 1995: Mutombo 1996: Mutombo 1997: Bradley 1998: Camby 1999: Mourning 2000: Mourning 2001: Ratliff 2002: Wallace 2003: Ratliff 2004: Ratliff 2005: Kirilenko 2006: Camby 2007: Camby 2008: Camby 2009: Howard 2010: Howard 2011: Bogut 2012: Ibaka 2013: Ibaka 2014: Davis 2015: Davis NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player 1939: Hull 1940: Huffman 1941: Kotz 1942: Dallmar 1943: Sailors 1944: Ferrin 1945: Kurland 1946: Kurland 1947: Kaftan 1948: Groza 1949: Groza 1950: Dambrot 1951: Spivey 1952: Lovellette 1953: Born 1954: Gola 1955: Russell 1956: Lear 1957: Chamberlain 1958: Baylor 1959: West 1960: Lucas 1961: Lucas 1962: Hogue 1963: Heyman 1964: Hazzard 1965: Bradley 1966: Chambers 1967: Alcindor 1968: Alcindor 1969: Alcindor 1970: Wicks 1971: Porter * 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Thompson 1975: Washington 1976: Benson 1977: Lee 1978: Givens 1979: Johnson 1980: Griffith 1981: Thomas 1982: Worthy 1983: Olajuwon 1984: Ewing 1985: Pinckney 1986: Ellison 1987: Smart 1988: Manning 1989: Rice 1990: Hunt 1991: Laettner 1992: Hurley 1993: Williams 1994: Williamson 1995: O'Bannon 1996: Delk 1997: Simon 1998: Sheppard 1999: Hamilton 2000: Cleaves 2001: Battier 2002: Dixon 2003: Anthony 2004: Okafor 2005: May 2006: Noah 2007: Brewer 2008: Chalmers 2009: Ellington 2010: Singler 2011: Walker 2012: Davis 2013: Hancock 2014: Napier 2015: Jones *Ruled ineligible after tournament Naismith Men's College Player of the Year 1969: Alcindor 1970: Maravich 1971: Carr 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Walton 1975: Thompson 1976: May 1977: M. Johnson 1978: Lee 1979: Bird 1980: Aguirre 1981: Sampson 1982: Sampson 1983: Sampson 1984: Jordan 1985: Ewing 1986: Dawkins 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Manning 1989: Ferry 1990: Simmons 1991: L. Johnson 1992: Laettner 1993: Cheaney 1994: G. Robinson 1995: Smith 1996: Camby 1997: Duncan 1998: Jamison 1999: Brand 2000: Martin 2001: Battier 2002: Williams 2003: Ford 2004: Nelson 2005: Bogut 2006: Redick 2007: Durant 2008: Hansbrough 2009: Griffin 2010: Turner 2011: Fredette 2012: Davis 2013: Burke 2014: McDermott 2015: Kaminsky Oscar Robertson Trophy winners 1959: Robertson 1960: Robertson 1961: Lucas 1962: Lucas 1963: Heyman 1964: Hazzard 1965: Bradley 1966: Russell 1967: Alcindor 1968: Alcindor 1969: Maravich 1970: Maravich 1971: Wicks 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Walton 1975: Thompson 1976: Dantley 1977: M. Johnson 1978: Ford 1979: Bird 1980: Aguirre 1981: Sampson 1982: Sampson 1983: Sampson 1984: Jordan 1985: Mullin 1986: Berry 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Hawkins 1989: Ferry 1990: Simmons 1991: L. Johnson 1992: Laettner 1993: Cheaney 1994: G. Robinson 1995: O'Bannon 1996: Camby 1997: Duncan 1998: Jamison 1999: Brand 2000: Martin 2001: Battier 2002: Williams 2003: West 2004: Nelson 2005: Bogut 2006: Morrison & Redick 2007: Durant 2008: Hansbrough 2009: Griffin 2010: Turner 2011: Fredette 2012: Davis 2013: Burke 2014: McDermott 2015: Kaminsky Adolph Rupp Trophy winners 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Walton 1975: Thompson 1976: May 1977: Johnson 1978: Lee 1979: Bird 1980: Aguirre 1981: Sampson 1982: Sampson 1983: Sampson 1984: Jordan 1985: Ewing 1986: Berry 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Hawkins 1989: Elliott 1990: Simmons 1991: O'Neal 1992: Laettner 1993: Cheaney 1994: G. Robinson 1995: Smith 1996: Camby 1997: Duncan 1998: Jamison 1999: Brand 2000: Martin 2001: Battier 2002: Williams 2003: West 2004: Nelson 2005: Redick 2006: Redick 2007: Durant 2008: Hansbrough 2009: Griffin 2010: Wall 2011: Fredette 2012: Davis 2013: Oladipo 2014: McDermott 2015: Kaminsky Associated Press Men's College Basketball Player of the Year 1961: Lucas 1962: Lucas 1963: Heyman 1964: Bradds 1965: Bradley 1966: Russell 1967: Alcindor 1968: Hayes 1969: Alcindor 1970: Maravich 1971: Carr 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Thompson 1975: Thompson 1976: May 1977: Johnson 1978: Lee 1979: Bird 1980: Aguirre 1981: Sampson 1982: Sampson 1983: Sampson 1984: Jordan 1985: Ewing 1986: Berry 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Hawkins 1989: Elliott 1990: Simmons 1991: O'Neal 1992: Laettner 1993: Cheaney 1994: G. Robinson 1995: Smith 1996: Camby 1997: Duncan 1998: Jamison 1999: Brand 2000: Martin 2001: Battier 2002: Williams 2003: West 2004: Nelson 2005: Bogut 2006: Redick 2007: Durant 2008: Hansbrough 2009: Griffin 2010: Turner 2011: Fredette 2012: Davis 2013: Burke 2014: McDermott 2015: Kaminsky UPI College Basketball Player of the Year Award winners 1955: Gola 1956: B. Russell 1957: Forte 1958: Robertson 1959: Robertson 1960: Robertson 1961: Lucas 1962: Lucas 1963: Heyman 1964: Bradds 1965: Bradley 1966: C. Russell 1967: Alcindor 1968: Hayes 1969: Alcindor 1970: Maravich 1971: Carr 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Walton 1975: Thompson 1976: May 1977: Johnson 1978: Lee 1979: Bird 1980: Aguirre 1981: Sampson 1982: Sampson 1983: Sampson 1984: Jordan 1985: Mullin 1986: Berry 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Hawkins 1989: Ferry 1990: Simmons 1991: O'Neal 1992: Jackson 1993: Cheaney 1994: G. Robinson 1995: Smith 1996: Allen Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year 1905: Steinmetz 1906: Grebenstein 1907: Kinney 1908: Keinath 1909: Schommer 1910: Page 1911: Kiendl 1912: Stangel 1913: Calder 1914: Halstead 1915: Houghton 1916: Levis 1917: Woods 1918: Chandler 1919: Platou 1920: Cann 1921: Williams 1922: Carney 1923: Endacott 1924: Black 1925: Mueller 1926: Cobb 1927: Hanson 1928: Holt 1929: J. Thompson 1930: Hyatt 1931: Carlton 1932: Wooden 1933: Sale 1934: Bennett 1935: Edwards 1936: Moir 1937: Luisetti 1938: Luisetti 1939: Jaworski 1940: Glamack 1941: Glamack 1942: Modzelewski 1943: Senesky 1944: Mikan 1945: Mikan 1946: Kurland 1947: Tucker 1948: Macauley 1949: Lavelli 1950: Arizin 1951: Groat 1952: Lovellette 1953: Houbregs 1954: Gola 1955: B. Russell 1956: B. Russell 1957: Rosenbluth 1958: Baylor 1959: Robertson 1960: Robertson 1961: Lucas 1962: Hogue 1963: Heyman 1964: Hazzard 1965: Bradley & Goodrich 1966: C. Russell 1967: Alcindor 1968: Alcindor 1969: Alcindor 1970: Maravich & Wicks 1971: Carr & Wicks 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: D. Thompson 1975: D. Thompson 1976: Benson & May 1977: Johnson 1978: Givens 1979: Bird Sporting News Men's College Basketball Player of the Year 1943: Phillip 1944: Hall 1945: Mikan 1946: Kurland 1947–49: None selected 1950: Arizin 1951: White 1952–57: None selected 1958: Robertson 1959: Robertson 1960: Robertson 1961: Lucas 1962: Lucas 1963: Heyman 1964: Bradley 1965: Bradley 1966: Russell 1967: Alcindor 1968: Hayes 1969: Alcindor 1970: Maravich 1971: Wicks 1972: Walton 1973: Walton 1974: Walton 1975: Thompson 1976: May 1977: M. Johnson 1978: P. Ford 1979: Bird 1980: Griffith 1981: Aguirre 1982: Sampson 1983: Jordan 1984: Jordan 1985: Ewing 1986: Berry 1987: D. Robinson 1988: Hawkins 1989: King 1990: Scott 1991: L. Johnson 1992: Laettner 1993: Cheaney 1994: G. Robinson 1995: Respert 1996: Camby 1997: Duncan 1998: Jamison 1999: Brand 2000: Martin 2001: Battier 2002: Williams 2003: T. J. Ford 2004: Nelson 2005: Brown 2006: Redick 2007: Durant 2008: Hansbrough 2009: Griffin 2010: Turner 2011: Fredette 2012: Davis 2013: Oladipo 2014: McDermott 2015: Kaminsky James E. Sullivan Award winners 1930: Jones 1931: Berlinger 1932: Bausch 1933: Cunningham 1934: Bonthron 1935: Little 1936: Morris 1937: Budge 1938: Lash 1939: Burk 1940: Rice 1941: MacMitchell 1942: Warmerdam 1943: Dodds 1944: Curtis 1945: Blanchard 1946: Tucker 1947: Kelly, Jr. 1948: Mathias 1949: Button 1950: Wilt 1951: Richards 1952: Ashenfelter 1953: Lee 1954: Whitfield 1955: Dillard 1956: McCormick 1957: Morrow 1958: Davis 1959: O'Brien 1960: R. Johnson 1961: Rudolph 1962: Beatty 1963: Pennel 1964: Schollander 1965: Bradley 1966: Ryun 1967: Matson 1968: Meyer 1969: Toomey 1970: Kinsella 1971: Spitz 1972: Shorter 1973: Walton 1974: Wohlhuter 1975: Shaw 1976: Jenner 1977: Naber 1978: Caulkins 1979: Thomas 1980: Heiden 1981: Lewis 1982: Decker 1983: Moses 1984: Louganis 1985: Benoit 1986: Joyner-Kersee 1987: Abbott 1988: Griffith-Joyner 1989: Evans 1990: Smith 1991: Powell 1992: Blair 1993: Ward 1994: Jansen 1995: Baumgartner 1996: M. Johnson 1997: Manning 1998: Holdsclaw 1999: C. Miller & K. Miller 2000: Gardner 2001: Kwan 2002: Hughes 2003: Phelps 2004: Hamm 2005: Redick 2006: Long 2007: Tebow 2008: S. Johnson 2009: Palmeiro-Winters 2010: Lysacek 2011: Rodriguez 2012: Franklin 2013: Urschel 1972 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans First Team Henry Bibby Jim Chones Bo Lamar Bob McAdoo Ed Ratleff Tom Riker Bill Walton Second Team Rich Fuqua Barry Parkhill Jim Price Bud Stallworth Henry Wilmore 1973 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans First Team Doug Collins Ernie DiGregorio Bo Lamar Ed Ratleff David Thompson Bill Walton Keith Wilkes Second Team Jim Brewer Tommy Burleson Larry Finch Kevin Joyce Tom McMillen Kermit Washington 1974 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans First Team Marvin Barnes John Shumate David Thompson Bill Walton Keith Wilkes Second Team Len Elmore Larry Fogle Bobby Jones Billy Knight Campy Russell Portland Trail Blazers Founded in 1970 Based in Portland, Oregon 1976–77 NBA Champions The Franchise Franchise All-time roster History Expansion Draft Draft history Accomplishments Head coaches Seasons Current season Arenas Memorial Coliseum (1970–1995) Moda Center (1995–present) General Managers Glickman Inman Spoelstra Petrie Whitsitt Nash Patterson Leiweke Pritchard Cho Buchanan Olshey President Sarkowsky Weinberg Whitsitt Glickman Patterson Leiweke Miller McGowan D-League Affiliate Fort Worth Flyers (2005–06) Anaheim Arsenal (2006–07) Idaho Stampede (2007–2014) Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2014–present) Administration Owner Paul Allen General Manager Neil Olshey Head Coach Terry Stotts List of executives Retired numbers 1 13 14 15 20 22 30 (Gross) 30 (Porter) 32 36 45 77 Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler Dražen Petrović Scottie Pippen Jack Ramsay Arvydas Sabonis Bill Walton Lenny Wilkens Culture Blazermania Rip City "Duck" Rose Garden arena bankruptcy Larry Weinberg Bill Walton Jack Ramsay Clyde the Glide The Schonz Memorial Day Miracle Blaze the Trail Cat Portland Indians Portland Fire Portlandia NBA Championships (1) 1977 Conference Championships (3) 1977 1990 1992 Division Championships (5) 1978 1991 1992 1999 2015 NBA Finals (3) 1977 1990 1992 Media TV KGW Comcast SportsNet Northwest Radio KPOJ Trail Blazers Radio Network Announcers Mike Barrett Mike Rice Bill Schonely Brian Wheeler Antonio Harvey NBA on NBC Related programs NBA Showtime NBA Inside Stuff NBA on USA Non-NBA programs College Basketball on NBC Olympics on NBC Related articles Ratings NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC Like Mike 2002 FIBA World Championship Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Golden State Warriors) California (Sacramento Kings) Chicago (Chicago Bulls) Mid-Atlantic (Washington Wizards) New England (Boston Celtics) Northwest (Portland Trail Blazers) Philadelphia (Philadelphia 76ers) Commentators All-Star Game NBA Finals WNBA Finals Key figures Marv Albert Mike Breen Bob Costas Don Criqui Dick Enberg Curt Gowdy Greg Gumbel Tom Hammond Dan Hicks Jim Lampley Joel Meyers Bob Neal Lindsey Nelson Bud Palmer Paul Sunderland Bob Wolff Color commentators Quinn Buckner P. J. Carlesimo Doug Collins Chuck Daly Mike Dunleavy Cotton Fitzsimmons Mike Fratello Matt Guokas Dan Issel Steve Jones Magic Johnson Ron Rothstein Isiah Thomas Bill Walton Sideline reporters Jim Gray Lewis Johnson Andrea Joyce Lisa Malosky Ahmad Rashād Hannah Storm Studio analysts Pat Croce Julius Erving Kevin Johnson Pat Riley John Salley Tom Tolbert Peter Vecsey Jayson Williams NBA Finals 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 All-Star Game 1959 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 Music "All Fired Up" "An American Symphony" "Crockett's Theme" "Desert Ride" "How's It Going to Be" "I Believe I Can Fly" "Return to Innocence" "Roundball Rock" "These Are Days" "Titan Spirit" "To the Flemish Cap" "Unbelievable" "Winning It All" Lore Christmas Day O.J. Simpson's low-speed freeway chase The Clock Incident Clutch City Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals Memorial Day Miracle Rivalries Bulls–Knicks Jazz–Rockets Website: NBA - NBC Sports NBA on ABC Related programs NBA Countdown NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad NBA Inside Stuff NBA on ESPN Radio NBA Shootaround NBA Wednesday NBA Friday WNBA on ESPN NBA Drafts 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Non-NBA programs ESPN College Basketball on ABC Olympics on ABC Related articles Ratings Commentators All-Star Game ESPN NBA Finals WNBA Finals Key figures Mike Breen Jim Durham Bill Flemming Chet Forte Jim Gordon Curt Gowdy Chuck Howard Keith Jackson Mark Jones Jim McKay Al Michaels Brent Musburger Brad Nessler John Saunders Chris Schenkel Color commentators Greg Anthony Hubie Brown Bob Cousy Sean Elliott Len Elmore Tim Legler Mark Jackson Steve Jones Johnny Kerr Dan Majerle Jack Ramsay Doc Rivers Bill Russell Tom Tolbert Jack Twyman Jeff Van Gundy Bill Walton Jerry West Sideline reporters David Aldridge Doris Burke Howard Cosell Heather Cox Dave Diles Mark Jones Sal Masekela Lisa Salters Michele Tafoya Studio hosts Dan Patrick Stuart Scott Sage Steele Hannah Storm Mike Tirico Michael Wilbon Studio anaylsts Jon Barry Chris Broussard Steve Javie Avery Johnson Magic Johnson George Karl Scottie Pippen Jalen Rose Byron Scott Bill Simmons ABC Radio announcers Marv Albert Dave Barnett Chick Hearn Rod Hundley Steve Jones Fred Manfra Earl Monroe Johnny Most Oscar Robertson Dick Vitale NBA Finals 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 ABC Radio's coverage 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 WNBA Finals 2003 (Game 2 on ABC) 2004 2005 (Game 3 on ABC) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 (Game 1 on ABC) 2011 2012 2013 2014 (Game 1 on ABC) All-Star Game 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 ABC Radio's coverage 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Music "Let's Get It Started" (2004) "ABC" (2004) "Lose My Breath" (2005) "This Is How a Heart Breaks" (2005) "Runnin' Down a Dream" (2006) "Right Now" (2007) "It Ends Tonight" (2007) "Nine Lives" (2007) "Get On Your Boots" (2009) "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (2009) "Rip This Joint" (2010) "Oh Santa!" (2010) "Black Dog" (2011) "Timber" (2014) Lore "I think we see Willis coming out!" Christmas Day Rivalries Bryant–O'Neal Lakers–Pistons Celtics–Lakers ESPN lore Pacers–Pistons brawl

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