NBA hall of fame center Bill Walton has died at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer.
Walton was a two-time NBA champion, winning one title with the Portland Trail Blazers and another with the Boston Celtics.
He is also one of the greatest college basketball players of all time, winning three consecutive national college player of the year awards between 1972 and 1974 amd two NCAA titles with the UCLA Bruins.
Walton was selected with the No. 1 pic in the 1974 NBA draft, and won his first NBA Championship with the Trail Blazers three years later.
After struggling with injury problems, Walton’s career took off again when he signed with the Celtics in 1985 for two seasons. Alongside Larry Bird, Walton collected his second NBA Championship in 1986.
After retiring from basketball, Walton became a sportscaster with several networks and teams.
Walton overcame a stutter to thrive on the microphone, winning an Emmy in 1991 and being named one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all-time in 2009.
More to follow.
NBA hall of fame center Bill Walton has died at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer
Walton was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers and won his first NBA championship in Oregon
Walton (far right) with Celtics teammates Danny Ainge, Rick Carlisle and Larry Bird in 1986
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk